Living is the Hardest Thing You'll Ever Do
by Violetrose93
Summary: With old friends Dawn and Solidad, May is ready for a fantastic summer on a cruise for elite coordinators. But when Drew shows up, things quickly become complicated. Then there's Solidad's mysterious sister, who Drew seems to worship. Will May be able to control her jealousy and win the fabled Cresselia, or will her heart get the better of her? Contestshipping, some ikarishipping!
1. Old Friends and a New Adventure

**Okay, so this is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story. I've had this bouncing around in my head for a while, and hopefully people will like it. I would really appreciate any comments, suggestions, any thoughts at all, really, especially since this is a longer story. If you like it and want me to continue, please say so. Thanks!**

It was a beautiful day to start a cruise. _The Autumn Light_ had been sitting in Slateport Harbor for weeks now, waiting patiently as its supply rooms were loaded, its furnaces stocked, and its crew gathered from all over the world. Now, with spring ending and summer about to begin, _The Autumn Light _was anxious to begin her maiden voyage.

On the pier, a huge crowd had gathered, made up of everyone from passengers, family members, and paparazzi. The cruise was a huge deal, with only a select number of trainers and coordinators being invited to take part. And who could say no to an all-expense paid luxury cruise? The voyage would last all through the summer, ending in August back in Kanto, where the passengers would disembark in Vermillion City.

The chosen coordinators and trainers mingled lazily on the dock, gathering in small groups and casting sympathetic smiles at their less fortunately companions. The atmosphere was buzzing with energy, and no one was more excited than a certain blue eyed coordinator from Petalburg City.

May Maple stood slightly off to the side, apart from rest of the crowd. She scanned the pier anxiously, rising to the top of her toes every so often, before rocking dejectedly back on her heels. She was just about to give up hope when she was rushed from behind by a girl with gleaming midnight blue hair.

"Dawn!" May squealed as she hugged her friend.

"May!" Dawn echoed, giggled and jumping up and down. Dawn was only a little bit younger than May, but markedly shorter. She was dressed for the cruise in a flowery pink sun dress, complete with white sandals with matching flowers. The two girls began walking towards the ship, both eager to board.

"I was getting worried. I thought you'd decided to ditch the cruise and travel with Kenny," May said, shooting a sly glance at her friend.

Dawn's blue eyes narrowed, catching the older girl in an uncharacteristic glare.

"_No_. I've said it over and over again, there's nothing going on between me and Kenny!"

May grinned. "I never said there was."

Dawn squealed in rage and lunged at her friend. May let out a shriek and sprinted away, heading for the gangplank. She ducked and weaved through the crowd, narrowly avoiding collisions on several occasions. However, her luck didn't hold out, and just as May reached the upper deck, she collided with a tall woman with flowing pink hair. They both went down, hitting the polished wood and sliding several feet before coming to a stop.

"Well, May, that's not exactly how I wanted to say hi," the other woman said, a bit sarcastically.

"Oh my gosh! Solidad!" May scrambled to her feet and helped Solidad up. "I'm so sorry! It's so good to see you!"

"You too. Although next time, you don't have to tackle me," Solidad said good-naturedly.

"Yeah, sorry. But in my defense, I was running for my life."

Solidad looked puzzled. "From who?"

"From _me_!" Dawn said threateningly, appearing from out of the crowd. May shrieked and

ducked behind Solidad, using her as a human shield.

"Hey, I know you," Solidad said, which caused Dawn to stop momentarily.

"You do?"

"Yeah, Dawn Hikari. You were the runner up in the Sinnoh Grand Festival, right?"

Dawn blushed slightly. "Well, yeah," she said modestly.

"Plus," Solidad grinned, shooting a glance at May, "you beat May in the Wallace Cup."

May glowered at her friend. "Barely."

Dawn snorted. "You wish."

"What, is it pick on May day?" May asked, throwing her hands in the air.

Solidad grinned and punched her younger friend lightly on the shoulder. "C'mon, let's go find somewhere less crowded so we can talk."

The three girls leaned against the railing, breathing in the fresh sea air. In front of them, the open ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. Most people were still crowding the front of the ship, waving to friends or loved ones. The back deck was almost completely deserted, which suited May just fine. It was a lot more peaceful back there, and certainly easier to hear her friends talk.

"So, Solidad, where've you been? May asked. "I didn't see you at any of the contests last year."

Solidad laughed. "Well, that's because you were in Sinnoh. I actually was in Hoenn, just to see what the circuit was like here."

"You've never been here before?" Dawn asked, looking slightly puzzled.

"Nope. I've usually kept to Kanto and Johto, you know, a bit closer to home. Sinnoh's next on my list, actually, right after this cruise is over."

May grimaced. "No, don't talk about the cruise being over. It hasn't even begun."

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, I want to savor every moment."

Behind them, someone snorted. They all spun around to see a guy with longish purple hair leaning against a pillar.

When he spoke, his voice was monotone and bored, contempt slightly coloring his words.

"I see you haven't changed much. Seriously, who uses "savored" in a sentence?"

Solidad just gaze at him impassively, but May glared, her temper flaring.

"I do. You got a problem with big words?"

"No," he said lazily, detaching himself from the pillar. "Just stupid people who use them."

At this, Solidad frowned, while Dawn had to physically restrain May.

"Hey, Paul," she said cheerfully, although her voice carried a slight undertone of wariness.

He didn't even acknowledge her as he walked away.

Dawn's shoulders slumped and she let go of May, who stumbled forward a few steps before she could catch herself.

"What's up with that guy?" May asked. "He's a total asshole."

Solidad rolled her eyes and continued to look in the direction that Paul had gone, her brow creased deeply.

Dawn sighed. "When I traveled with Ash, you know, back in Sinnoh, we'd run into Paul every now and then. He and Ash were big time rivals."

Solidad snapped her fingers. "Now I get it! He's Reggie Shinji's younger brother."

"You know Reggie?" Dawn asked in shock.

Solidad chuckled. "Yeah, I met Reggie when he was still a trainer. He challenged the Battle Frontier in Kanto. I was getting ready for a contest when our training areas crossed."

"That's so cool," Dawn said, although May looked slightly confused.

"I know absolutely none of these people. Just so you know," she said, looking back and forth between Solidad and Dawn.

Dawn sighed. "Trust me, you probably don't want to know Paul."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Solidad added. "He's absolutely nothing like Reggie."

"Yeah, really," Dawn muttered, but just then the ship's foghorn sounded.

"Come on! It's about to pull out!" All three of them ran for the front of the ship, thoughts of Paul momentarily banished.

The cheers and screams of the crowd were still ringing in May's ears as she, Dawn, and Solidad made their way to an outdoor café for lunch. They had yet to check out their rooms, but as usual, May was in the mood for food. The café was cute, with tile mosaic covered tabletops, and chairs with twisted metal designs running up the backs. The girls' table was a deep aquamarine blue, the tile glittering in the afternoon sunlight.

"Oh, yeah," Solidad said, just after their food arrived. "I forgot to mention this. My sister's actually on the ship. You'll both get to meet her."

May stopped eating for a second. "I didn't even know you had a sister," she said blankly.

Dawn asked, "Is she a coordinator, like us?"

Solidad started to shake her head, but stopped. "Well, she was, but she's retired. She's actually a Pokémon researcher now. She's on the cruise to do research, among other things."

May said, "That's so cool. Is she going to be at the opening ceremony tonight?"

Dawn frowned. "What ceremony?"

"There's a reception for all the coordinators and trainers on the cruise," Solidad replied. Dawn started to look slightly panicked, so Solidad backtracked.

"Relax, Dawn, it's nothing major. Just some food, probably music and stuff."

"We'll probably have to mingle too, you know, get to know everyone else," May added.

"Mingling?" Dawn gasped. "I don't know if I have anything to wear to mingle!"

May and Solidad laughed at the younger girl's horror, which elicited a glare from Dawn.

"This is a serious problem. Everyone here is someone. I can't just go looking like this!" Dawn's voice had been rising steadily, finally settling on a pitch that would shatter glass. She gestured to her clothing as if she was wearing rags and sackcloth, instead of pink silk with threads of golden woven into the fabric.

Dawn stood up abruptly and said, "I have to go raid my wardrobe. I have to have brought _something_ decent." And with that, the dark haired girl left, muttering under her breath as she disappeared around a corner. May and Solidad looked at each other, then collapsed into laughter.

They finished the rest of their meal and left, talking as they walked the decks of the ship. May had been traveling on her own for so long that she had almost forgotten what it was like to have a friend to talk to. A pang of loneliness shot through her, and for a second, she remembered the long ago days of traveling in Hoenn with Ash, Brock, and Max.

"Hello? Earth to May?" Solidad asked, waving a hand in front of May's face.

May startled slightly. "What? Oh, sorry. I zoned out," she apologized.

"It's fine," Solidad assured her. "Anyway, have you seen Drew lately?"

May froze for a second, her mouth feeling strangely disconnected from her brain. She wrested control back and replied, "No, it's been a while." She paused. "Why?"

Solidad glanced at May sideways before saying nonchalantly, "Oh, no reason. I just didn't know if you knew he was here."

May swallowed hard. "Here? Like, on this ship?"

Solidad nodded. "Yep. In fact, I'm supposed to have dinner with him this evening. If you'd like to come, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Solidad said craftily, shooting another sideways glance at May, whose face was slightly pinker than it had been a minute ago.

"I don't know. I'll probably just eat with Dawn, you know, protect her from Paul," May said, her voice faltering slightly at the end. Solidad just gave her a knowing look and said, "Okay. I'll tell him you say hi."

May nodded but didn't say anything. In all honesty, she didn't know what to say. She hadn't seen Drew in months, despite the fact that she knew he was in Sinnoh too. Drew had seemed to be going out of his way to avoid contests she was entering, so May had let things be. But she couldn't pretend that his silence didn't hurt a bit. They'd known each other for more than six years at this point, and she considered him one of her closest friends. They were rivals, of course, but still, May had thought they were friends too. Apparently, she had thought wrong.

May didn't voice any of this to Solidad. As wise and understanding as she was, Solidad had been friends with Drew for far longer than she had with May. And May definitely didn't want Drew to know that she had cared so much about his absence.

"Hey, I'm going to head to my room, check things out. You should too," Solidad said. "Hopefully, they didn't forget your luggage."

May paled. "They wouldn't . . ." she whispered, images of herself in gift store clothing for the next three months flashing in front of her eyes. Forgetting to say goodbye, May turned and ran for her room, narrowly avoiding crashing into a couple out on a leisurely stroll. Solidad just laughed and shook her head before she turned and headed for her own room.

**Okay, so that's it. I hope you guys like it! I'm not going to hold a story hostage until I get a certain number of reviews, but if you could just take two seconds and tell me what you think, it would be really helpful. Thanks!**


	2. Sisters and Fanboys

**Okay, so here's chapter 2! Drew's finally in the picture, although he and May are on the outs. (But what else is new?) Anyway, I hope you guys like it, and please, please review!**

May sighed in relief as she caught sight of her luggage on the floor. She collapsed onto the bed, relishing the . The room was beautifully decorated, so much more so than the pokecenter rooms she was used to. It was small but elegant, with gleaming dark wood furniture and a thick, plush carpet the color of crushed cranberries. The bedspread was ivory, with matching satin ribbons intersecting the fabric, creating a lush quilted look that May loved. An adjoining bathroom was done in gleaming marble, with antique looking gold fixtures and delicate lights encased in blown glass bubbles hanging from the ceiling.

For the first time, May really felt as if the cruise was going to happen. Even after boarding, she wondered if it all wasn't a dream, a lovely fantasy that would dissolve at any moment. But now, as she lay luxuriating on the softest bed she'd ever known, May could hardly contain her exhilaration. To have been invited on this cruise was a tremendous honor. Only the top trainers and coordinators in the world were offered a place, and May still couldn't believe she'd been invited.

A memory came, all at once, of her first disastrous attempt to perfect a combo move. String shot and gust had not mixed well at all, which had only given Drew more ammunition to tease her with. May felt a pang of longing as she realized how much she missed Drew's teasing. Even when he was making fun of her, Drew had always managed to give her a tip or a pointer, something to help her get better and excel.

_Enough_, May thought, pulling her thoughts back to the present.

Since May refused to start thinking about Drew again, she dragged herself off the bed and forced herself to unpack. Unlike Dawn, who had undoubtedly brought ten million suitcases onboard, May had packed light. Other than her everyday clothes, she only brought a couple dresses for special occasions, like tonight's ceremony. Right now, she laid out a loose, moss green dress that she'd picked up in Cherrygrove City because she loved the color. May slipped into a pair of cream colored flats and took off her bandana.

As she brushed her hair, May wondered how Max was doing. She hadn't seen him in a couple months, but she knew he was somewhere in Kanto. Hopefully he'd be able to meet her in Vermillion City in August.

Her reverie was broken by a brisk knocking at her door. May stood up and peered through the peephole. Dawn leaned in and was about to knock again when May jerked the door open, causing Dawn to stumble into the room. A few glares and some head slaps later, both girls were sprawled on May's bed, talking.

"I saw Paul again," Dawn said conversationally, examining her shimmering gold nail polish.

May raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

Dawn didn't look up from her nails. "Oh, you know, it's just interesting running into people you haven't seen in a while. And, speaking of which," Dawn propped herself up on an elbow and looked at May, a mischievous look spreading across her face, "you wouldn't guess who I saw a little bit ago."

May unconsciously clenched her hands into fists. "No. Who?" May asked, her voice hard and brittle.

Dawn looked surprised. "Jeez, calm down. It's just Drew. Did you know he's on the ship too?"

"Yes, I did," May said shortly. Then, she changed the subject.

"Anyway, why don't you get dressed so we can head up to dinner. It's been over five minutes since I ate, so you know I'm starving."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "All you do is eat."

May slapped her upside the head. "Hypocrite."

"Touché."

The restaurant Dawn chose for dinner was absolutely amazing. May thought she might actually cry when she walked in and saw the chocolate fountain. And when the waiter brought out the menus, and May saw the words _chocolate zabaglione_, she thought she might actually have died and gone to heaven.

As the meal wore on, May found herself stealing quick glances around the room more and more often. She told herself she was just taking in the beautiful décor, and the huge diversity of incredibly interesting people. She was _not_, she kept reminding herself, looking for a hint of long coral colored hair, or a short mess of sea green locks. May couldn't care less about the whereabouts of Drew Hayden.

So, of course, when he and Solidad turned up at their table for the second course, May jumped half a mile.

"Relax, Maple. I didn't mean to startle you," Solidad laughed as she slid into a chair. May muttered something about being lost in thought, keeping her eyes glued to her empty soup bowl. But when Solidad introduced Drew to Dawn, May forced herself to look up.

She smiled politely, but wanly, at her former rival, and couldn't help noticing how much he'd changed since she'd last seen him. His hair was shorter, emphasizing the extra inches he'd gained. He was leaner, too, more muscle than fat, and his face was sharper. Drew was still wearing black, but instead of a long sleeved t-shirt, he was wearing a short sleeved button down that fit his shoulders extremely well. May tried to swallow unnoticeably, although her mouth was suddenly strangely dry. She refused to meet his gaze, instead focusing on the bridge of his nose.

"How've you been, Drew?" Her voice was pleasant, and May was happy to hear that she sounded vaguely interested, but not overly so. _If I was Paul_, she thought, _I could try for the bored, asshole voice and see what he made of that_.

"Fine." And that was it. Drew didn't say anything else to her. He just sat there in silence, apparently waiting for someone else to pick up the conversation.

"Sooo," Dawn said, glancing curiously at May, "it's so great to meet you. I've seen you compete, and you're amazing."

"Yeah, well, I try. But we can always be better, right?" Drew flashed Dawn a winning smile, and she looked over at May, dazzled. May glared at her before returning her gaze to her bowl.

Solidad gave Drew a perplexed smile before changing the subject. May sat in silence, unable to lift her gaze from the table. She was angry, no, _furious_, that after all those months of silence he would sit there and _still _not talk to her.

"Oh my gosh, did you guys hear that Annaliese Devereux is supposed to make an appearance?" Dawn squealed, looking around the table with pure excitement shining on her pretty face. As usual, May was the one left out.

"Wait, who's—"

Drew groaned and face palmed, while Solidad gave May an amused grin.

"Please tell me you're not about to ask who Annaliese Devereux is. Please. I can forgive a lot of things, but a coordinator not knowing who Annaliese Devereux is just, inexcusable."

"Drew," Solidad chided. "Be nice. Annaliese was around before May was a coordinator. And the only reason you know who she was is because you spent your childhood glued to the Coordinating channel on TV."

Drew glared at Solidad. "Still. Annaliese is the real deal. I mean, she's the whole reason I even became a coordinator in the first place. And besides, she knows who she is," Drew said, jerking a finger at Dawn, who blushed.

May sighed exasperatedly. "Is anyone going to actually tell me who Annaliese-freaking-Devereaux is, or should I go ask someone else?"

Drew started to say something, but Dawn cut him off.

"Annaliese is, like, this hugely famous coordinator. She won every Grand Festival in existence by the time was fourteen. It was amazing. They have old videos of her competing, and it's like magic."

"Yeah, but she's not just known for her coordinating skills," a dry, superior voice cut in. Everyone at their table looked up to see Paul standing nearby. He had obviously been walking past their table when he overheard their conversation.

"No one asked for your opinion," May snapped, glaring at Paul. He just stared at her impassively for a minute before continuing to speak.

"Annaliese Devereux wasn't just a coordinator. She was a trainer as well, and a particularly strong one at that. Her Pokémon were absolutely ruthless."

May rolled her eyes. "That's ridiculous. There's no way anyone that young would be that good."

Solidad held up a finer. "Actually, he's right. Annaliese _was_ that good. People say she had a special bond with Pokémon, something that let her tap into their innermost potential."

"And," Drew said, excitement creeping onto his face, "if she's really on this ship, I'd do anything to meet her."

"Wow, I didn't peg you for a fanboy, Drew," May said snidely, pleased to see a blush creep onto Drew's face.

"I'm not a fanboy," Drew muttered, but Solidad just laughed.

"Maybe not anymore," she pointed out. For some reason, Solidad looked extremely amused at this entire conversation. May was just about to say something when someone came up from behind Solidad and wrapped their hands over their eyes.

"Guess who?"

Solidad squealed. "Anna!"

The hands pulled away as the new girl laughed. Solidad rose and hugged her, momentarily blocking her from May's view. But she had a front row seat to watch the color drain from both Drew and Paul's face. Dawn looked like she was about to have a heart attack from pure shock.

"No. Freaking. Way," she said, actually putting a hand over her heart.

Solidad pulled away from the mystery girl and turned to May. She tried to stifle a laugh as she said, "May I introduce my sister, Annaliese?"

**Surprise! Well, sort of. Anyway, Anna's going to be a huge part of this story, mostly to balance out some of the other characters' extremes. Hope you guys like it, and if you want me to continue, please leave me a review! Thanks!**


	3. Anna, Lottie, and Kriggs

**Happy Monday! I know a lot of people despise Mondays (myself included) so I thought I'd try and liven things up with an update. I hope you guys like it, and please, **_**please**_**, review! Thanks!**

"Please," Annaliese said, rolling her eyes, "call me Anna. No one's called me Annaliese for years, and Soli knows it."

Drew and Paul were still in shock. Paul had dropped into an empty chair beside Dawn, but May didn't think he'd even noticed. Drew was looking back and forth between Solidad and Anna, the color on his face rising steadily.

"You . . . you . . ." he spluttered, staring accusingly at Solidad.

She laughed, running a hand through her long hair.

Drew still didn't have full control over his vocal cords.

"All those years . . . oh God . . . _Solidad!_

Anna laughed, and it was such a likeable sound that May wanted to laugh right along with her.

"Please, if there's one thing I can't stand, it's fanboying." Anna said good-naturedly. Drew shot a dirty look at May, who smiled serenely back.

"And that goes for you, too," Anna said, glancing at Paul. Paul just nodded, his face retreating back into a mask of indifference.

"But I thought you were missing or something," Dawn said, looking slightly confused. Anna laughed again, and May realized just how pretty she was. Her chocolate colored hair fell in glossy waves past her shoulders, the deep, rich color matching her eyes perfectly. Her skin was a pale, delicate ivory, and her high cheek bones and delicate nose and mouth gave the impression of a member of proper society.

But then she grinned, and May watched those dark, flashing eyes fill with mischief.

"Well, that's just what everyone assumed. But the truth was, I just retired," Anna said, a bit too innocently for May's taste. Her suspicion was confirmed when Solidad scoffed beside her.

"Oh, right. So that entire year you spent in a bunker in Sinnoh was just a vacation?"

Anna stuck her tongue out at Solidad, which was such a juvenile gesture that May laughed out loud before she could stop herself.

"I needed to get away from the paparazzi for a little bit," Anna explained to the others, shooting Solidad another mock glare.

"But why would you want to retire?" Dawn asked. "I mean, you were the best."

Anna shook her head. "Nope. No matter how good you are, you always have to believe that there's someone out there better. And as to why I retired, well, I guess I just wanted to do other things."

May suddenly remembered her conversation with Solidad from earlier.

"Oh, that's right. Solidad said you're here for research."

Anna nodded. "Yep. My research partner and I have a lab on the lower level of the ship."

"Speaking of research partners, where is Kriggs?" Solidad asked.

"Under your bed," a new voice intoned. Everyone jumped as a tall, gangly boy appeared from behind a waiter. His sandy brown hair stood almost straight up, as if he'd been shocked, and his green eyes, although very solemn, seemed to mask the same type of mischievous energy that filled Anna's gaze. Kriggs slid into the seat between Anna and Solidad, ignoring glares from both girls.

"You wish," Solidad scoffed, cuffing Kriggs lighting on the shoulder.

"What kind of name is Kriggs?" Paul asked, not bothering to try for even false politeness. Kriggs looked at him for a second before answering.

"It's actually John, John Kriggs, but _someone_," he looked pointedly at Anna," doesn't like the name John."

"There are a thousand Johns out there," Anna argued. "Kriggs is way more memorable."

"And here they go," Solidad groaned, glancing at her watch. "Hey, I think they're going to start soon, so we should probably get going."

"What?" May yelped. "But we've barely eaten anything!"

"You can eat later. Let's go!" Dawn said, dragging May behind her as she headed for the door.

The opening ceremony was held on an upper deck, which had been decorated to appear like a sort of open air pavilion. Tables filled with party food lined the space, and strings of multicolored lights were suspended above their heads. There were no tables or chairs, just a lot of open space in front of a raised platform where the speakers would presumably be.

The deck was already packed with people by the time Dawn and May arrived. Solidad, Drew, Paul, and Kriggs filed in behind them. May wondered where Anna had disappeared to. Dawn started jumping up and down, trying to get a better view of the stage, and accidentally landed on one of May's feet.

"Ow! Dawn, quit it," May hissed, putting a hand on Dawn's shoulder to stop her from moving.

"I can't help it. I'm so _short_," Dawn said, the word short heaped with enough venom to make a rattlesnake run for the hills.

"Hey, in here guys," Kriggs said, motioning to a door behind them. He swiped a cardkey and the door clicked open. Kriggs disappeared up a stairwell, followed by Drew and Paul. Solidad glanced back at the two girls.

"Well, are you coming?"

The view from the balcony was amazing. In every direction, the sea and the stars stretched out endlessly. They could easily see above the crowd to the stage, where a small group of people had gathered. The crowd was quieting down as a tall, stately man with graying blonde hair stood up and walked to the center of the platform.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'd just like to congratulate each and every one of you for your accomplishments. Everyone here has distinguished themselves in one area or another, whether it be contests, battles, or even a mixture of the two." Solidad and Kriggs suddenly grinned at each other, and May knew the man was talking about Anna.

"I am Gregory Casselton, and I will serve as Director of Events for the next three months. What events, you may ask? Well, it is my great pleasure to announce that, in August, _The Autumn Light_ will be hosting two separate events in order to celebrate the end of the cruise."

Mr. Casselton paused, letting the curious murmurs die down before he continued.

"The first event will be a tournament for all of the trainers on board. It will be held in the same form as a league tournament, and will continue until only one trainer is left standing. I would like to introduce a young man many of you probably already know, who will be serving as Head Trainer for the duration of the cruise."

Mr. Casselton stepped back to allow a tall, red haired man take center stage. Beside her, May felt Solidad stiffen. The older girl inhaled sharply and muttered a string of curse words under her breath. She turned to Kriggs and hissed, "Did you know about this?"

Kriggs' eyes went wide as Solidad glared daggers at him. "I don't—huh?"

Dawn cut in. "Shh! I can't hear."

May glanced at Solidad, taking in the mixture of outrage and dismay flashing across her face. It was the same muddle of emotions May felt every time she looked at Drew. May's eyebrows rose as understanding clicked. She started to say something, but Solidad met her gaze with something akin to desperation, so May bit back her comment.

"What's wrong, anyway," Dawn asked. May jumped in so Solidad didn't have to answer.

"Nothing, Dawn, Solidad probably just doesn't like him. I know there are people on this ship that _I _don't like," May said, staring pointedly at Drew, who just looked away. Solidad relaxed in relief, but not before May shot her a look that clearly said _we'll talk later_.

Back on stage, Lance had finished whatever opening remarks he had, and Mr. Casselton was speaking again.

"Now, I know that there aren't just trainers on board." All of the coordinators cheered, causing Mr. Casselton to chuckle. He continued, "That's why, along with the tournament, we will almost be hosting a Festival for all the coordinators. Here to serve as our Head Coordinator is a lovely young woman whom I have had the honor to work with personally, Ms. Marina Davis."

Solidad cheered loudly along with the rest of the crowd.

"I take it you know Marina, too?" May asked dryly. Solidad laughed and said, "Marina and I go way back. She was one of the first coordinators I met in Johto. She's absolutely amazing."

Down on the deck, the applause finally died down as Marina made her way to the microphone. Marina smiled eagerly out at the crowd, her vibrant blue hair twisted into an elegant knot at the nape of her neck. She was wearing a dress that could only be described as ethereal. The fabric was light and gauzy, the color of cloud hazed sky. It seemed to float around her, stopping at her knees and cinched tight around the waist with a band of wispy white lace.

"It is such an honor to be here tonight. I would be remiss if I didn't thank Mr. Casselton, the board of directors and, of course, the Joint Head of Competition, who you'll meet in just a minute. I'm looking for to a wonderful three months of training and innovation, and I hope that you'll have as much fun as I will." The crowd erupted into applause again, and Marina stepped back to stand next to Lance.

Mr. Casselton moved to speak again. "Now, the last speaker tonight was one of the driving forces behind this cruise, and will serve as your Joint Head of Competition. But she seems to be missing . . ." Mr. Casselton scanned the crowd for a moment, and then bobbed up and down.

"Ah! There she is! May I introduce your Joint Head of Competition, Ms. Annaliese Devereaux."

For the second time that night, Solidad turned on Kriggs. This time, she grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, laughing, "You jerk! I'll kill both of you!"

Kriggs was laughing uproariously, and he barely managed to choke out, "She wanted it to be a surprise."

Solidad growled and released Kriggs, turning to watch as Anna took the platform below.

The applause was thunderous, but Anna waved a hand, quieting everyone almost immediately. May got her first full look at the imposing, infectious character that was Annaliese Devereaux. She was taller than May had initially thought, and willowy, with limbs that seemed to dance instead of just move. Her dress was simple, much simpler than any of the others, and yet it was the cleverest. The skirt and bodice were both black, but with a top layer of a very dark, very subtle sheer purple fabric. Deep violent gems gleamed from her waist, and as she was moved, the shifting fabric of the skirt shimmered violet.

"She's a Mismagius," Dawn murmured in awe. The dress was so understated, yet unmistakably made in the form of a Mismagius. May felt a pang of envy shoot through her, especially when she saw how closely Drew was watching Anna.

Before Anna started to talk, she looked at the crowd for a moment, and then laughed, the sound spreading to every corner of the space.

"As a rookie trainer, if someone had told me that one day, I'd be standing here, talking to all of you, I would have laughed and walked away. But here I am, so I guess I better do my best not to make a fool out of myself." The crowd laughed, and Anna motioned for Lance and Marina to come to the front again.

"Now, as Mr. Casselton has already said, these two wonderful people will be serving as the respective heads of Trainers and Coordinators. My job, as Joint Head of Competition, is to make sure that everyone is getting along nicely, and no one is seriously injured before the ship pulls into Vermillion City." Another laugh, a big one, as May nudged Dawn. Dawn scrunched up her nose in mock laughter, before sticking her tongue out again.

"Now, Mr. Casselton has told you about the Tournament and the Festival. But what he hasn't told you, and what he's left for me to reveal, is that the winner of each will receive a very special prize, something you won't find anywhere else in the world."

All at once, the crowd seemed to lean forward and hold their breath. Anna fiddled with something on her wrist, and then a burst of light erupted into the air above her head. The crowd murmured in surprise and awe as two holograms appeared against the night sky.

"Each winner will receive a Pokémon, a very rare Pokémon. For the victorious trainer, the Pokémon will be a Darkrai. And for the coordinator, a Cresselia."

May inhaled sharply, her gaze fixed on the image of the elegant lunar Pokémon. It was every coordinator's dream to own a Pokémon that breathtakingly beautiful. May, Dawn, and Solidad exchanged grins, their competitive sides already making an appearance. Drew wasn't looking at anyone, just staring at the image of Cresselia.

The ceremony went on for a little bit longer, but May wasn't really paying attention. She was lost in thought, wondering what she would do if she could compete with a Cresselia. _Don't be ridiculous_, she scolded herself. _Solidad or Drew will probably win. Maybe even Dawn. I'm the weak link when it comes to this group_.

"Hello? May?" Dawn asked, tilting her head to observe her friend.

May forced herself to laugh. "Oh, sorry. You know me, always out in la-la land." May looked around. Paul had disappeared, probably off to plot his battle strategy to ensure he got that Darkrai. Kriggs and Solidad were deep in conversation, while Drew was still staring off into space.

"So, what's going on now? Can we just go back to our rooms?" Dawn asked, stifling a yawn. It had been a long, taxing day, and suddenly, nothing sounded more inviting to May than sinking into that bed for the next eight or nine or maybe twenty hours.

Anna appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, vaulting up over the railing, landing in a sitting position on the narrow metal bar in between May and Dawn, her legs crossed elegantly and her face the picture of innocence. Solidad and Kriggs stopped their conversation long enough to shoot her identical glares.

"What? Oh, come on, walking up the stairs isn't any fun," Anna complained, crossing her arms over her chest.

"How did you . . . I mean, the floor . . ." Dawn trailed off, peering cautiously over the railing.

"Lottie helped her," Solidad said in disgust. "Dirty collaborator."

"Aww, Soli, don't be that way. You know Lottie just likes to make me happy."

Solidad scoffed while Kriggs said, "Yeah, one day she'll make you so happy you'll fall and break your neck."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Mom."

"Where is Lottie anyway," Solidad asked, looking around. Dawn and May exchanged helpless glances. They were quickly realizing that Anna added an extra dash of lunacy to any conversation she was a part of. Just to prove May's point, a little girl, no older than ten or eleven, came up onto the deck the same way Anna had. She was tiny, with loose golden hair and a cute, rosebud mouth. The only thing that made May suspect she wasn't entirely human was her eyes. The color changed, shifting from blue to green to gold, finally settling on a color that resembled amethysts.

Solidad glared at the little girl, Lottie, who smiled serenely back.

Dawn peered at the girl curiously. "I still don't see how—oh!" Dawn screeched as Lottie's form began to change. Her edges melted and swirled, quickly solidifying into a new form.

"Oh, she's a Latias," May breathed, entranced by the Pokémon in front of her. It was almost a traditional Latias, with angled wings and a majestic, dragon-like head. But where normal Latias were red and white, this one was a deep, vibrant purple, with the white accents tinged a slight, iridescent silver.

Drew had finally broken out of his musings and was staring at Lottie.

"I remember her. She was always at all of your contests. People thought she was your little sister," Drew recalled, reaching out a tentative hand to stroke Lottie's neck. Lottie crooned and nuzzled him, prompting the first real laugh out of Drew that May had heard in a long time.

All at once, jealously twisted May's insides. She tried to fight it down, but she couldn't help feeling very aggravated at Anna and her stupid Latias. _What a stupid name for a Latias_, May thought maliciously. Lottie's head turned towards her, and May swore it laughed at her. Anna noticed something too, although she just chuckled lightly under her breath. Lottie reverted back to her little girl form before tripping lightly down the stairs and disappearing.

"Anyway, that's enough excitement for tonight. I just came to snag Kriggs. There's a new data set we have to go through tonight," Anna said, sighing resignedly.

Kriggs groaned. "Really? On the first night?"

"Yep. Come on, you begged to be my research assistance for this. You said that if I let you come, you'd do absolutely anything I asked, even if it meant—"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Kriggs yelled, huffing all the way down the stairs. Anna winked at Solidad before following him, yelling, "Goodnight!" over her shoulder.

Dawn yawned loudly, which started May, Drew and Solidad going too.

"Go to bed, Dawn," May laughed. Solidad tried to make her escape, but May caught her by the arm.

"No way. You and I are going to have a little _chat_," May said sweetly. Solidad looked like she was going to protest for a moment, but then her shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Fine."

**Hehehe, I kind of enjoy torturing my characters a little bit. Poor Solidad's about to head into interrogation, while May doesn't seem to be taking to Anna at all. If you like the story, please review! I love to hear what you think, and it really does help me as far as taking the plot forward. Thanks!**


	4. Rejection and Insanity

**Surprise update! I really wasn't planning on updating anything today, but I had some unexpected free time, so I thought, "Eh, why not?" So here's chapter 4. And if you like this, you might like some of my other stories. "Roses and Oranges" occupies a special place in my heart because it was my very first story. Anyway, I've blathered on long enough. If you like this story, please let me know by leaving a review! Thanks!**

May and Solidad were sitting cross legged on May's bed, sipping cups of hot chocolate that May had snagged from a drink cart. Solidad was staring fixedly at the bedspread while May waited patiently for her friend to begin. Solidad's head suddenly came up, and her blazing blue gaze was not what May expected.

"Lance and I had a thing, okay? I knew him from when I was first starting out as a trainer," Solidad said, her voice bitterer than May had ever heard it.

"Wait, a trainer?" May asked. Solidad nodded.

"I was a trainer first, like most coordinators. I didn't even know contests existed until I saw the contest hall in Goldenrod City."

May nodded, remembering her own short stint as a trainer.

"Anyway, Lance was nice. He was funny, smart." Solidad paused. "_Good looking_," she said grudgingly. May stifled a giggle, but Solidad didn't notice.

"Anyway, we were friends for a while. He actually helped me catch my Lapras."

"Yeah, yeah, but when did you hook up?" May interrupted, which drew her a baleful glare from Solidad.

"It's not like we slept together right after we met. I'd know him for years before we . . . ever did anything," Solidad blushed, although she kept her scowl.

May groaned impatiently. "_When_?"

"Last year? I don't know, it was on and off for a while. And it was fun, don't get me wrong. But after a while, I realized that's all he was interested in. Having fun. So I broke it off and decided to hit the Hoenn circuit. And I haven't seen him since." Solidad stared at the cup in her hands blindly, and May could tell she was trying not to cry.

"But why were you so mad at Kriggs?" May asked, playing with the edge of her blanket.

"Anna knew everything. I called her and told her the whole sob story after I left Lance. I just assumed Kriggs knew as well."

"But apparently not."

"Apparently not," Solidad confirmed. She hid her face in her hands. "This whole thing is just like a huge slap in the face for me."

"Did Anna know about Lance being on the ship?" May inquired, wondering if Solidad's sister would have been so heartless as to not tell her. Deep down, May kind of hoped that was the case. She knew it was petty and malicious, but she was really looking for a reason to dislike Anna.

Solidad shook her head. _Darn_, May thought.

"No, Anna didn't know. That's what Kriggs and I were talking about. Lance was a last minute substitution by Casselton. All Anna knew was that the original guy had dropped out. I'm sure she was just as shocked as I was, although she hides her emotions better."

May leaned forward and gave her friend a hug. "I'm sorry, Solidad."

Solidad shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. What's done is done, and I can't change it none."

May laughed. "Hey, that's cute."Solidad smiled feebly.

"Yeah, and pretty good words to live by. Anna taught it to me."

_Of course she did_, May grumbled internally.

"What's going on with her and Kriggs, anyway?" May asked, hoping to change the subject.

Solidad laughed. "Absolutely nothing, much to his dismay." May raised an eyebrow.

"So he . . ?"

Solidad smiled smugly. "Yep. Only Anna doesn't date. Like, at all."

"Why not?"

"Who knows?" Solidad threw her up her hands.

May sighed. "Well, she's certainly interesting. I can see why Drew's so obsessed with her."

Solidad looked at May sharply. "Why do you care who Drew's interested in?"

"I don't," May said firmly. "I just didn't peg him as the type to be obsessed with anyone. Well, other than himself," May amended.

"Don't be so hard on Drew. He's had it harder than you think."

"Please," May scoffed. "Don't expect me to have any pity for him. His fangirls can handle that."

"Okay, May," Solidad said quietly, although she still looked amused.

The next morning, May woke to sunlight filtering in through the single window in her cabin. It took her a little longer to get ready than usual since she was obsessed with making sure she looked just right. Finally, frustrated at her bandana, which just wouldn't tie properly, May tore the whole thing out of her hair and went out bareheaded. It was warmer than it had been the day before, and by the time May reached the dining area, she was already sweating.

"Oh, air conditioning," she moaned as she stepped through the door. May spotted Dawn and Solidad sitting at a table near the windows. After she got her plate, May moved to join them, but stopped when they suddenly got up and left.

Hurt flared immediately, and May wondered sadly if they had even noticed she wasn't at breakfast. Sighing, May turned around and tried to find an empty table. Unfortunately, the room was packed with trainers and coordinators, and there wasn't a free seat in sight.

May turned back to the table Dawn and Solidad had shared, but her heart plummeted to see that someone had already sat down. Sighing internally, May made her way to the table, cringing at the thought of asking the stranger if she could sit with her. As she approached the table, however, May was startled to realize that it was Marina, her vivid blue hair pushed up under a cap.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't . . ." May stuttered, looking desperately around for an escape.

Marina looked up and said, "Oh, no, it's fine. I was waiting for someone, but he's late. I figured I might as well get a table while I could."

May smiled gratefully as she slid into one of the empty chairs. As she started to eat, she noticed that Marina, who had been so bubbly the night before, now looked solemn, even upset.

"Are you okay?" May asked, pausing in-between bites of scrambled egg.

Marina nodded but kept looking around the room. May wondered if she was waiting for her boyfriend, but thought it was better she didn't ask that. Just then, a guy and girl walked up to the table. The girl was giggling at something the guy had said, staring at him with huge, flirtatious eyes. Marina looked up and May saw a flash of annoyance cross her face before she smiled brightly.

"Morning, Jimmy!" Marina said, her voice almost lyrical. Jimmy smiled at her, but May could tell he wasn't really paying attention. Jimmy was one of the most attractive guys May had ever seen. He was tall and muscular, with a mess of dark blue hair the same shade as Dawn's. The white t-shirt he was wearing fit him well, and even in just jeans and sneakers, he looked like a model.

"Hey, Marina, I know we were supposed to have breakfast, but I kinda promised Jade I'd show her around." Jade smirked at Marina, although Jimmy didn't notice. Marina's smile never faltered, and she replied, "Oh, that's fine. I made a friend anyway."

"Thanks Marina," Jimmy said, but he and Jade were already walking away.

"No problem," Marina whispered, and the minute the pair was out of sight, her face crumpled.

"Ouch," May said apologetically, patting Marina's hand.

Marina stared at her hands sadly.

"I'm so sick of always being the second choice, you know?" Marina said despondently, twisting a silver bangle absent mindedly around her wrist.

"Yeah, I know how that feels," May muttered darkly.

Marina shook her head and seemingly forced herself to smile brightly. "It's fine. I'm not here to socialize anyway. Sorry, I haven't even asked you your name."

"May, May Maple."

Marina squealed. "Oh, I know you! I watched you in Snowpoint City last year! Your Glaceon was fantastic."

May blushed. "Thanks. But you must be so excited, right?"

Marina giggled again. "Of course! I mean, I've known Anna for years, but it was a shock when she recommended me to the board. She's such a nut, but I absolutely love her."

At the mention of Anna, May's heart sank a little bit, but she forced herself to keep smiling.

"Yeah, I've known her sister, Solidad, for a long time."

"Oh, you know Soli?" Marina exclaimed. "Soli and I go way back. In fact, the three of us used to travel together."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago," Marina said, waving her hand.

Just then, a familiar mop of sea green hair came into view. May's felt her heart clench, but she tried to ignore it. She focused entirely on her conversation with Marina, not even looking up as Drew passed their table. May saw him pause out of the corner of her eye, but then he just kept walking.

Later, May was sitting on one of the lower decks, dangling her feet off the edge. The deck was deserted, so she was alone with her thoughts. Or so she thought.

"Hey, what's up?" Anna sat down next to May, her legs swinging back and forth like a child. May considered not answering, but decided that would be too rude. As it was, she managed a brief hello before continuing to stare out at the open sea. Anna looked at her for a second before she said, thoughtfully, "You know, I love sailing. It's a lot of fun, with the wind and the sound the water makes when it hits the side of the boat. But it's also kind of constricting, you know?"

May looked at her grudgingly. "What do you mean?"

"Let me guess. You're the type of person that loves wide open spaces, right? Mountain views and old country roads and all that?"

"Well, yeah," May admitted. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Anna sighed and rested her chin on the railing, staring out at the sea. "Even on a ship like this, I always start to feel claustrophobic after a while, like I'm suffocating."

"So? You're saying that I will too?" May asked acerbically.

"No, not at all," Anna said, turning her dark eyes on May. May shifted uncomfortably, wishing she'd be a little politer. But Anna didn't really seem mad.

"You don't have any flying Pokémon, do you?"

"Well, my Beautifly's a flying type, so—"

"No, that's not what I mean," Anna interrupted. "I mean, a Pokémon that can really fly. And carry your weight, too."

May shook her head, confused at the direction the conversation had gone. Anna stood up suddenly, and stretched a hand toward May.

"Alright, come on."

"What?" May stared at the hand as if it might bite her.

Anna laughed and dragged May to her feat. "I'll show you."

Pulling a pokeball from her pocket, Anna tossed it to May. May threw the ball and released a Pidgeot, which stretched its wings gracefully.

"Here, you can borrow Pidgeot for a while. Climb on," Anna said, and then she lifted herself up on top of the railing. May realized what she was about to do, but couldn't grab Anna in time to keep her from jumping. May screamed and ran to the side. It was a lower deck, sure, but they were still probably forty feet above the water. She looked down, expecting to see Anna's crumpled body floating amidst the waves. Instead, May almost got smashed in the face as Anna shot upward into the sky, Lottie's streamlined body cutting easily through the air. Anna whooped loudly as Lottie turned and sped off away from the ship.

After a slightly hesitation, May climbed onto the back of the Pidgeot, which immediately took off and followed Anna and Lottie. May screamed as the wind roared in her ears, blocking out everything else. When the Pidgeot banked to the right, May felt her hands begin to slip off the silky feathers. Desperately, May scrambled for a hold, finally just latching her arms around the pokemon's neck. They flew higher and higher, matching Anna and Lottie, before finally coming to a stop above the cloud line.

May's had squeezed her eyes shut right before they entered the clouds, so when Anna tapped her on the shoulder, she almost fell off the Pidgeot again.

"Open your eyes."

Cringing, May slowly cracked an eyelid, terrified of how high she was. What she saw almost knocked the breath out of her.

Snow. That's what it looked like. There was nothing but a flat, vast landscape of fluffy whiteness, for miles and miles. May knew that they were clouds, but she had never realized how flat they all were on top. The sun was brighter up here, making each puff of white gleam like newly laid marble.

"It's so beautiful," May whispered, momentarily forgetting how far up she was.

"Yeah, it is," Anna said dreamily. Latias was hoverting a couple feet away, basking its face in the sunlight. Anna suddenly rose to her feet, crouched precariously on top of Lottie's back.

"Wait, what are you doing?" May asked frantically.

"Cloud diving, what else?" Anna asked. Stupidly, May started to tell her that you were supposed to have a parachute, but Anna had already launched herself into the open air.

May's scream was drowned out by Anna's mirthful laughter as she plummeted to certain death. Lottie rolled her amethyst eyes before going into a sharp dive, racing after her trainer. May urged Pidgeot to follow, but wasn't entirely prepared for the freefall she found herself in. They broke through the clouds and suddenly the sea was rushing up to meet them, faster than May preferred. Below her, May could just barely make out Anna, her back arched and her arms slightly out at the sides.

And then Lottie was right next to Anna, their bodies parallel as they fell. Anna twisted slightly to the side and swung gracefully onto Lottie's back, pulling out of the dive easily. May pulled up desperately on the Pidgeot's neck, relief expanding in her stomach as the freefall flattened out to a gentle gliding.

Lottie and Anna pulled up alongside them, and May was dumbstruck to see that Anna was grinning.

"You're crazy!" May gasped, wiping furiously at the tears that streaked her face. Anna just laughed.

"You should try it. It's a wonderful feeling."

May shook her head vigorously. "You're. Freaking. Insane."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Anna smirked. "Come on, let's go get some lunch." As May followed Anna back to the ship, she wondered if all of Solidad's family was as crazy as her sister.


	5. Get Your Head Out of the Clouds

**Update! I love updating. It makes me feel like I'm actually accomplishing something, instead of my usual slacker/procrastination. I said before that I won't hold a story hostage for reviews, and I stand by that. But at this point, I would be really grateful if even one person let me know that they actually like reading this. I'll finish the story no matter what, but reviews make me very happy. And if you're a contestshipping nut like me, you could check out some of my oneshots. Personally, I like "Ah, Screw It", but the choice is yours. Thanks!**

At dinner that night, Solidad and Dawn roared with laughter when May told them what happened.

"Yeah, Anna does that. I keep telling her she's going to kill herself, but does she listen to me?" Solidad rolled her eyes.

"I don't listen to anyone," Anna said as she and Kriggs dropped into vacant seats. Drew and Paul had been missing for most of the day, but everyone just assumed they were training. They did pick up one more straggler to their table, a slightly disheveled looking Marina, whose eyes were wide with exasperation as she sat down next to Anna.

"Uh oh, what happened?" Anna asked, taking a huge bite out of chicken. If there was one thing May couldn't fault her on, it was her appetite. May had always been somewhat of a food lover, and apparently, Anna was too.

"Nothing, nothing," Marina said breathlessly.

Anna cocked one eyebrow, so Marina exhaled and said, "I love coordinating, it's my life, it's my passion, but sometimes I get so sick of how stuck up coordinators can be."

"Ahhh," Anna said.

"Yep," Marina glowered at her plate, and May felt sorry for the carrots.

"Of course, it's probably not just the other coordinators," Solidad said slyly, shooting Anna a look.

Anna's eyes danced gleefully. "Solidad makes a good point. The trainers are almost as bad. I mean, I ran into Jimmy earlier, and he was just unbearable."

Marina choked and started coughing. Kriggs thumped her on the back , which only made the coughing worse. After she was finally breathing normally, Marina replied evenly , "I wouldn't know anything about trainers. I just work with the coordinators."

Anna and Solidad exchanged exasperated looks.

"Oh, come off it Marina," Anna said.

"Yeah, really," Solidad muttered. May raised an eyebrow and mouthed _Lance _at her, which shut her up real fast.

"I couldn't care less what Jimmy and Jade do," Marina said firmly, stabbing a potato with slightly more force than necessary.

"No one mentioned Jade," Anna mumbled into her food, prompting a furious glare from Marina.

Throughout this whole exchange, May, Dawn, and Kriggs had been silently laughing, trading looks with each other. May suddenly had the ridiculous urge to grin. It was the first time May had felt this good in a long time.

And then Drew appeared and ruined everything.

Immediately, the urge to smile was replaced with the urge to scowl. May carefully folded her face into a neutral expression, trying her best to appear uninterested at his appearance. The change didn't go unnoticed, however, and May felt Anna's sharp gaze on her. May refused to look at her and turned to Dawn to ask her a question about training.

Solidad, as usual, smoothed things over.

"Hey, Drew. Where've you been all day."

"Training," he replied shortly. "Is this seat taken?" Drew indicated the chair in between Dawn and Kriggs.

Dawn shook her head, so Drew sat down and started eating. Dawn turned and waggled her eyebrows at May, which caused the others to erupt into giggles. May started to glare, but then smiled sweetly at Dawn.

"Hey, Dawn, I forgot to ask. How are things going with Kenny?" Dawn flushed a deep scarlet.

"Ooooh, who's Kenny?" Kriggs asked, his voice exaggerated and his mannerisms flippantly flamboyant. Anna smacked him on the back of the head, which he took with grace.

"No, seriously, who's Kenny?" Marina asked, leaning in towards Dawn.

May smirked. "Well, Dawn? Tell them about Kenny."

Dawn was mumbling death threats into her food when Drew spoke.

"At least Dawn has someone who's interested in her. It's not like you have dates lining up to take you out."

May's face went blank, and for a moment, she actually thought she might hit Drew. He smirked at her from across the table and flicked his hair arrogantly.

"I think I'm finished," May said breezily, standing up and leaving. As she left the dining hall, she heard Kriggs say, "Ouch. Harsh."

May was sitting in her darkened room, refusing to allow her to cry over Drew. Since her window faced east, night had come to her cabin earlier than others, which suited May just fine. Years ago, she had promised herself that she'd never let a guy make her cry, and so far, she'd been successful. But Drew came awfully close, and it was only May's famous stubborn streak that kept the tears from spilling over onto her face.

A knock on the door startled May out of her fog. Slowly, she got to her feet and looked through the peep hole. Anna was outside, swaying back and forth slightly, her eyes a thousand miles away. May shook her head as she opened the door. Anna was certainly one of a kind, she'd give her that.

"So," Anna said, looking May up and down as she entered the room.

"So what?" May asked, folding her arms stiffly in front of her.

"Well, dinner was certainly . . . interesting. Care to explain?" Anna plopped down on the bed, where she looked at May with clinical interest.

May went and sat down on the bed next to her.

"I don't know what you're—" she began, but Anna cut her off.

"Let's agree not to lie, alright? I'm not stupid, and if there's one thing that'll really piss me off, it's someone acting like I am." Angry Anna was terrifying, and for a brief instant, May got a good look at something dark inside Solidad's sister. May realized that no matter how skillfully Anna played the quirky, good-natured sister, she had a past that May didn't want to get close to. Then, just as quickly, the darkness was gone. Anna still looked displeased, but the terror that had paralyzed May ago was absent.

Anna flopped onto her back so she was staring at the ceiling.

"Look, I don't know what's going on with you and Drew. I don't know your history and," May opened her mouth to object, but Anna kept talking over her. "And don't tell me there isn't one, because there is. So what's up?"

May opened her mouth. And then closed it. For a second, she hovered between denial and acceptance, wondering what would happen if she allowed herself to talk about Drew. Anna raised an eyebrow, and May, feeling a rush of recklessness, made her choice.

And so May told her. Everything. From the very first time she met Drew up until his disappearing act seven months earlier. The words just kept coming and coming, and May found that, when she was done speaking, it felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her chest. Anna hadn't spoken much during May's story, and even when May finished, she remained silent.

Finally, she spoke.

"I think you need to talk with him."

May scowled. "I don't have anything to say to him," she said loftily.

"Yeah, well, it looks like he does," Anna said pointedly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

May started to protest, but then, all at once, the fight went right out of her.

"When I say I don't have anything to say, I mean, I don't know _what_ to say," she whispered, hiding her face in her hands.

"Emotions suck, right?" Anna said unsympathetically, pulling herself into a sitting position. May glared at her, but Anna kept talking. "Life is messy. It's hard, and exhausting, and sometimes, utterly emotionally devastating. But it beats the alternative, right?"

May rolled her eyes. "Please. I don't want to die just because of one fight."

Anna shook her head. "I wasn't talking about dying. I was referring to the people who don't live, or at least, not really. You'll meet them from time to time, people who just float on by. Just . . . existing. And in the end, what's really the point?" Anna shook her head. "Living is the hardest thing you'll ever do. But in the end, it's the only thing that really means anything."

May was silent for a long time after that. Eventually, she said, "Well, now I know why everyone who meets you falls in love with you."

Anna gave her a shove. "That's not true. In fact, I think more people want to kill me than kiss me."

May giggled. "Well, since no one wants to kiss me, I think I've got you beat."

This time Anna's shove sent May rolling off the bed.

"You're ridiculous." Anna paused. "You really should talk to Drew, though. He didn't look too happy when he left the dining hall."

"Maybe tomorrow," May replied. Honestly, she really wasn't ready to talk to Drew yet, and Anna seemed to understand.

"You're a worse procrastinator than Kriggs," Anna laughed, letting the subject drop. They talked for a little while more, and the more she got to know Anna, the more that tight little ball of jealously in her chest began to loosen. May felt lighter than she had since she learned that Drew was on the ship.

It was close to midnight by the time Anna left May's room.

"You should come down to my lab sometime. I'll show you something you definitely haven't seen before."

"Should I be scared?" May joked, although she felt a little wave of anticipation roll through her.

"Always," Anna winked.

The next day, May was passing by one of the training rooms when she heard a familiar voice yelling out commands. She looked inside to see Drew, who was in the middle of a harsh training session with his Roserade and Flygon. Both pokemon were panting heavily from the strain, their movements jerky and unrefined, as if they'd been going for a long time. May hung back, unsure, while Drew shouted orders and instructions at both Pokémon. Finally, just as she was about to turn away, Drew said, "I know you're there."

May paused, wondering if he was just guessing.

"What do you want, May?" Drew sounded tired, no, exhausted. May tried to remember if she'd ever heard Drew sound like that before.

"Look, if you're not going to say something, then just leave. I'm in the middle of training."

May's temper flared, and she quickly crossed the floor to where Drew stood.

"No, sorry, I think that's your area of expertise. Right? Just leave and not say anything? But then, of course, you think you can show right back up months later and make my life a living hell," she said, her voice rising to a yell at the end. The sound echoed in the large, empty space.

Drew looked shocked, for once, and before he could say anything, May turned and ran. She didn't pay attention to where she was going until, finally, she found herself at the same spot where she and Anna had talked the day before. May realized she still had Pidgeot's ball in her pocket. Soon she was racing through the air, heading for the space above the clouds where she had felt so calm.

By the time she broke through the cloud bank, she couldn't tell if the tears on her face were from crying or the wind. For a long time, May just stayed there, slumped over Pidgeot's back like a dead weight. The pokemon didn't seem to mind, and every now and then it craned its head backward, trying to check on May.

_You're being ridiculous_, she told herself. Straightening up, she inhaled deeply. The air felt different up here. Thinner, yes, but cleaner somehow, fresher. Nothing like the salty sea air on the ship, or the fragrance heavy air of her hometown.

"Pidgeot, dive," May whispered, reveling in the feel of the wind whipping by her face and through her hair as they fell. The sea rushed closer and closer, until May could reach down and touch it. She pulled Pidgeot up at the last second, letting her fingers skim the water as they flew above the surface.

A shadow passed overhead, and it took May a second to register that someone was yelling her name.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Drew yelled, pulling his Flygon up beside Pidgeot.

May looked at him indifferently. "I don't see how it concerns you."

"Of course it concerns me! You could've killed yourself!" Drew seemed inexplicably furious, his face flushed and his hair disheveled. "Get back on the ship. Now," he commanded. May tossed her head defiantly.

"No."

And with that, she spurred Pidgeot back up into the clouds. Drew followed her closely, keeping behind her as if to prevent her from going into another dive. May smirked and whispered into Pidgeot's ear, "Alright, let's really scare him. Cloud diving on three, 'kay?" Pidgeot tossed its head in agreement, letting out a loud shriek.

May laughed as she leapt into open air, and Drew's scream only made it funnier.

_Anna was right_, May thought as she fell. _This is amazing. _

Her stomach felt as if it was going to get pulled right out of her body, but she didn't care. Each slight movement sent her spinning and falling in a new direction. If she moved parallel with the ground and spread her limbs, she slowed considerably. If she twisted and pointed her head towards the ground, May felt like a speeding bullet.

Pidgeot was pulling up beside her and May was about to get on when something slammed into her from the side, sending her spinning dangerously out of control. She screamed, unable to see anything or get her bearings. The sea was much too close now, and May squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the impact.

Instead, she was dragged sideways, ending up straddling Flygon behind Drew as he pulled out of a dive. The sharp decrease in speed sent May hurtling forward, and she had to cling to Drew's waist to avoid falling again.

"What the hell did you do that for?" May screamed. "You almost killed me!"

"You almost killed yourself," Drew spat at her, steering Flygon towards the ship. "What the hell were you doing, jumping like that?"

May rolled her eyes. "Anna does it all the time. It's called cloud diving. She showed me yesterday when we were flying."

Drew was silent for a minute, and May realized she was still holding onto him. She pulled her arms back in disgust and looked around for Pidgeot. Seeing the Pokémon close by, she jumped off Flygon. Drew yelled again, but May didn't care. She shot past him towards the ship, with no other thought than of making it back to her room.

May awoke with a pounding headache the next morning, coupled with a hacking cough and, judging by the chills racking her body, a fever. She tried to get up and get dressed, but every time she tried to stand, her legs gave out under her. She ended up lying on the floor at the foot of the bed, wrapped in her comforter.

She just sort of laid there for a couple hours, periodically trying to climb back into bed, and failing every time. She hadn't been this sick for years, and a small part of her wished there was someone there to take care of her.

_I guess it's a good thing I was never like this when I was on my own_, May thought, thinking of being caught like this in the wilderness. Every year stories circulated about trainers who went missing, only to turn up dead from disease or exposure or injury months later. It was sad, but it was a risk you took when you became a trainer.

"May? Are you in there?" Dawn's came through the door muffled. It took May a second to process what she was hearing, and another couple to formulate a response.

"Yeah. The code's 6439," she called faintly, unsure if Dawn could even hear her. Evidently she could, because the next thing May knew, the door swung open and Dawn crouched next to her.

"You look awful." Dawn never was one to mince words when it came to appearances. Luckily, she was a lot stronger than she looked, because she was able to lug May off the floor and back onto the bed. May tried to thank her, but managed only a weak moan.

"Do you need to see a doctor?" Dawn asked worriedly, perching on the edge of the bed.

May shook her head, but the slight motion made her dizzy, so she just closed her eyes.

"Aww," Dawn crooned, smoothing the hair back off of May's forehead. It felt nice, and May fell back asleep just as Dawn crept quietly out of the room.

The next time May woke up, it wasn't to Dawn's sweet, gentle voice. It was a gratingly, patronizing, arrogant voice that immediately sent her into a fit of rage.

"This is what happens when you spend too much time with your head in the clouds. Literally," Drew clucked, smirking at her from a chair next to the bed.

"How'd you get in here?" May demanded, trying to sit up. A wave of nausea immediately hit her, so she laid back down.

"Dawn let me in. She wanted to make sure there was someone to check on you while she was training."

May pulled the pillow back over her face.

"Great," she mumbled into the pillow. "Just fabulous."

"You could be a little more grateful," Drew snapped, yanking the pillow off her face.

"Give it back," May said.

"Why? So you can smother yourself?"

"Yeah, that way I don't have to look at your worthless face." Even May was surprised at the level of nastiness in her voice. Drew recoiled slightly, then threw the pillow down and turned towards the door. He stopped with one hand on the knob and just stood there, unmoving, for a long time.

"What do you want Drew?" May asked, her voice just plain tired now. "I'm too sick for this today."

Drew never answered. He just walked out of the room.

**Yeah . . . so, Drew and May aren't really getting along. There's a lot more going on with Drew then May realizes, though, so there's a couple different ways this story could go. If I'm feeling particularly angsty, I might just kill everyone off except Kriggs (joking). Anyway, if you like this and want me to continue, I would really, really, **_**really**_** appreciate a review. Otherwise I don't know if anyone even cares. I could be talking to literally no one, and I'd never know. So review, and thanks!**


	6. Worthless

**Here's chapter 6. This is sort of a bonus chapter because it's from Drew's point of view. I'm not going to change POVs that much, but I felt that Drew's thoughts were more important here than May's at the moment. Thanks, and please review.**

The second Drew left May's room, a wave of misery crashed over him. He almost turned around, almost went back inside and told May everything. But something stopped his hand from turning the knob. He heaved a sigh and headed back to his room, his heart churning with everything his mouth wanted to say.

_She's right, though,_ Drew thought abjectly. _I am worthless._

Drew stopped outside his room, unwilling to lock himself inside again. He had been doing enough of that lately. Instead, he went and sat on the railing, dangling his legs out over the open ocean.

_It would so easy,_ he thought, staring at the swirling water below. _I wouldn't even need to jump. It would be like sliding down the slide on the playground. One push and you're gone_. _No one would even notice._

"What's up?" Drew startled and almost lost his balance. He grabbed the rail to keep himself from plummeting into the waves, realizing in that moment that he didn't really want to jump. He looked up for the source of the voice, but saw no one.

"Hello?" Drew asked suspiciously, hoisting himself back onto solid ground again, just in case.

He heard a girl giggle, and then Anna and Solidad appeared from seemingly nowhere, sitting astride Lottie's back.

"Whoa, how did you . . ." Drew trailed off as Lottie started making an odd noise. _Eh eh eh._

"She's laughing," Anna explained, hopping down. She helped Solidad off, and suddenly Drew was surrounded, Anna on his right, Solidad on his left, and Lottie in front. Anna smirked and glanced at Solidad.

"Therapy time. You or me, Soli?"

Drew glowered. "Thanks, but I don't need therapy."

Anna barked a laugh while Solidad smiled gently at Drew.

"Drew, you looked like you were about to jump," Solidad said mildly.

"I wasn't," Drew said defensively. "I was just . . . thinking."

"Careful, you might hurt yourself," Anna muttered. Drew glared at her.

"I liked you better when you were just on TV." Anna grinned.

"Most people do."

Just then, Solidad's phone buzzed. She glanced at the text, and although her expression didn't change, Drew noticed a slightly tinge of pink appear on her cheeks.

Apparently, so did Anna. The dark haired girl groaned and said, "Go. I'll deal with Jumper over here."

Solidad smiled gratefully at Anna and jumped on Lottie, who sped off towards the other side of the ship.

Trying to avoid whatever Anna meant by therapy, Drew started talking immediately. "One, don't call me Jumper. And two, you never explained how you and Solidad just appeared like that."

Anna rolled her eyes and leaned casually against the railing. "Come on, Drew. You're smart. Think about it."

"I mean, Latias can alter the light to make themselves invisible, but I didn't that extended to passengers . . . which I now realize it does," Drew finished lamely. Anna was right. It was kind of obvious.

"Correct. But that's not why I'm here."

Drew grimaced. "I don't need to talk anything out, okay? I'm fine."

"Hmm . . ." Anna ran a hand through her hair. "Let me guess. You were probably thinking how it would be very easy to just slip away. It also possibly crossed your mind that no one would even notice you were gone. Just one little slip and . . . poof, you're gone. Am I close?"

Drew's mouth was hanging open in astonishment. "I swear, if you can read minds, I really will jump."

Anna laughed. "No, I don't read minds. And I wouldn't want to. Ugh." Anna shuddered, and Drew felt a pain race through his chest.

"I used to watch you," he blurted out. "All the time. Every time you were competing in a contest, I'd be sitting there, glued to my TV."

Anna smiled indulgently and started to reply, but Drew wasn't done talking. "No, listen. I'm not a fanboy, okay? But you're the reason I became a coordinator. You convinced me that the world could be beautiful, that there was something good out there."

"And I bet it took a lot of convincing," Anna said softly. "It bet to you, the world looked mean and dark and cruel. I bet there never seemed to be any room for you in it, and everything just felt so unfair." Drew realized that she wasn't really talking about him anymore.

"You've been there too," he guessed, and Anna smiled at him faintly.

"Oh, yeah. You wondered how I knew what you were thinking? I've had the exact same thoughts. It's very easy for them to slip in. Sometimes it feels like they're just watching, waiting for their chance."

"Do they ever go away?" Drew asked plaintively. He sounded like a small child, but he desperately needed to know.

Anna hesitated. "Yes. And no. They go away during the good days, the ones where you're glad to be alive, and you remember every wonderful, positive thing that you've ever experienced. But the bad days, the ones where you feel like there isn't enough good in the world to possibly be worth this much pain, well, that's when they come back."

"How do you deal with it?" Drew asked.

"I hold onto the good days," Anna said softly. "And the hope that there are more good days than bad."

They both stood there, staring out at the darkening sea for a while. Finally, Drew said, "In Sinnoh, I stopped talking to her. I didn't give her a reason, I didn't give her an explanation . . . I just checked out. At first, I thought that in a couple of days, I'd be fine, and I'd see her again. But the days turned into weeks, and then months, and one day, I woke up and realized I hadn't seen her for more than half a year."

Anna sighed but didn't say anything.

Drew kept talking. "When I saw her here, I thought that maybe she hadn't noticed, that she wasn't really upset. I thought that I could play it off, just pretend like nothing happened. But she's so _angry_. And I don't know what to say, and every time I do try and say anything, I just make things worse."

"Welcome to my life," Anna muttered. She straightened up shook her head. "She _is_ angry. Furious, actually. And she has every right to be. But maybe if you stopped insulting her," Anna cocked an eyebrow at Drew, who winced, "maybe if you stopped insulting her and actually tried to apologize, she might forgive you."

Drew groaned. "Or she could tell me she hates me and never wants to talk to me again."

"Obviously she wants to talk to you, Drew. She's been trying ever since this damn ship left port. You just keep shutting her out."

It took Drew a second to process this. Finally, he whispered, "I just feel so worthless sometimes."

Anna suddenly leaned forward and grabbed him by the shoulders. She shook his hard a couple times, and Drew felt his head rattle slightly.

"There. At least for the moment, all the bad thoughts are gone."

"Yeah, because my brain's been reduced to a pulp," Drew muttered. "Now I don't have _any_ thoughts."

"You're ridiculous. Go to bed, and in the morning, things will look better. I promise."

"Promises are dangerous," Drew said darkly.

Anna nodded. "They are. But I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't a promise."

"Really?"

"Really."

As Drew turned to go into his room, he stopped. Anna was still there, staring out at the sea, her eyes glazed over with memories.

"Hey, Anna?"

"Yeah, Drew?"

"Thanks. For everything."


	7. Parties, Laundry, and Apologies

**I am currently listening to the most amazing song I've heard in a long time. It's "Above the Timberline" by Five for Fighting, and I absolutely love it! If you're ever having a bad day, check this song out. It will definitely lift your spirits. Or anything by Five for Fighting, really. All of their songs are so incredible. But enough about music. This story finally got a review! Yay! Thanks to schoolmouse33 for making my day. Now I'll shut up and let your read. Here's chapter 7. Thanks and please review!**

"Well, you look better," Dawn said, walking into May's training room. Skitty was sliding around on the ice covered floor while May sat on a bench, relaxing after a long morning of training. She's woken up around five filled with restless energy. Physically, May felt back to normal. Psychologically, however, she was still in a bad place. Her argument with Drew the night before kept playing over and over again in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to think about something else. Finally, May had grabbed her gear and headed down to the training rooms, intent on drowning out her inner turmoil in heavy duty appeals work.

For the most part, it worked. May had successfully banished all thoughts of Drew from her mind, replacing his arrogant, smirking face with ideas about ice and electric appeals and what might be possible if she could teach Skitty how to use thunderbolt.

"Too bad Ash isn't here," May commented, taking a drink from her water bottle. "I could really use his advice with electric attacks."

"Don't forget Pikachu!" Dawn said excitedly. May knew that Pikachu occupied a special place in Dawn's heart. Dawn always had a weakness for cute pokémon.

"Where've you been all morning?" May asked, stretching. She winced as her back cracked loudly, causing Dawn to giggle.

"Training," Dawn said casually. Her face betrayed her, though, and a small smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth.

"With who?" May asked suspiciously, although she already had an idea. She raised an eyebrow, causing Dawn to blush.

"Paul might have been giving me some pointers," she said, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Hmm," May said, watching Dawn closely.

"It's not like that!" Dawn squealed.

"Not like what?" May asked innocently.

Dawn growled. "You know, I think Drew's been a bad influence on you."

May stuck her tongue out. "Like Paul's any better. One day, you might wake up and find that you don't even want to be a coordinator anymore."

Dawn's eyes widened in terror. "Never," she whispered. May started to reply, but her stomach growled loudly, sending both girls into a fit of giggles.

"I think I forgot to eat breakfast," May said.

Dawn gasped in exaggerated horror. "Oh no. I think you might actually be dying. May Maple never forgets to eat."

"I guess this is a bad time to mention that I was up and training before 6?"

Dawn shook her head solemnly. "It's been nice knowing you, May."

May laughed. "You too, Dawn. You too."

Suddenly, the lights went out completely, drowning both girls in darkness. Skitty squealed in terror and apparently ran into the wall, judging by the proceeding yelps of pain.

"Skitty, return," May said, pointing the pokeball in the general direction of the cries. Red light flared, briefly illuminating three shadows figures standing at the other end of the room. Dawn screamed and ducked behind May.

"What do you want?" May called loudly, hoping no one could hear how scared she was.

"We've come to kidnap you," a deep, imposing voice boomed, reverberating menacingly off the walls.

"Both of you," another voice echoed, although this one sounded strange, as if the speaker was trying to smother a laugh. May thought she knew that voice.

"Marina?" May called hesitantly, wondering what was going on.

"Dammit, Marina, you ruined it." That was Anna, her voice no longer disguised. The lights flicked back on, revealing Anna, Solidad, and Marina standing near the door. Solidad looked mildly amused, as usual, while Anna looked annoyed and Marina slightly contrite.

"I'm sorry, it was just so funny," Marina apologized. Anna sighed and grinned at May and Dawn.

"Did we scare you?"

Dawn made a noise like a teapot whistling. "I don't know, let me check my heartbeat. Oh, wait, I'm sorry. It _stopped_."

The older girls laughed, and even May managed a chuckle despite her own racing heartbeat.

"Seriously, though, we are here to kidnap you," Solidad added.

Marina bobbed up and down. "Anna managed to . . . _liberate_ some pizza and other various items from the kitchen. We're having a party!"

"Shh!" Solidad and Anna both clamped their hands over Marina's mouth before looking around suspiciously.

"Um, is it a secret party?" May asked.

"Yes!" Anna exclaimed. "Secret as in, no boys."

"Good," May said approvingly. "I'm sick of boys right now."

Dawn made a slight noise, like she wanted to disagree, but she swallowed it.

"And tomorrow," Marina said, pulling Solidad's hand away from her mouth, "we're going dancing. The ship's pulling into Rubymoore after dinner, and I'm so ready to hit the clubs."

"Dawn and I aren't eighteen yet," May reminded her. Anna and Solidad rolled their eyes at her.

"Like I don't have access to fake IDs," Anna scoffed, flicking a piece of lint of her sleeve. Dawn and May both looked scandalized, so Anna added, "Relax. I used to use them for research purposes, you know, to get access to off limits areas? Sneaking you two into a club would be easy."

Solidad shook her head. "You're a rebel without a cause, Annie."

Marina laughed while Anna made a face. "Don't call me Annie."

"Alright, Annaliese."

"Solidad," Anna growled warningly.

"Anyway," Marina said, "you know Rubymoore's in international waters. You can get in at sixteen."

"Oh, okay," May said, relieved that she wouldn't have to become a criminal. She wondered if Anna was one of the girls her mother always warned her about. But so far, Anna hadn't tried to pressure her into doing drugs or having sex, so May figured she was alright.

Beside her, Dawn looked disappointed. "I'm only fifteen," she muttered, tugging at her hair in distress.

"Fake IDs," Anna coughed, but Solidad scowled at her.

"Can you try to not be a criminal for five seconds?"

"Wait, when did Anna become a criminal?" May asked curiously, causing Marina and Solidad to roll their eyes.

"Since birth. Anna's allergic to following the rules," Solidad said, giving her sister another glare.

"Oh, come on. It's not like I go around committing murders for the fun of it. Sometimes I just . . . improvise a bit."

"Can we finish this conversation upstairs?" Marina asked. "I'm starving."

"Great," Dawn said in exasperation. "Now you sound like May.

"Hey!"

The girls were all gathered in Marina's room, which looked like someone had set off a blue ink bomb. The curtains, the carpets, the furniture, everything was done in varying shades of blue. The walls, painted stark white, helped contrast all the different shades, and although May had never been a big fan of blue, it matched Marina's bubbly personality perfectly.

Everyone was stretched out on the floor, the remnants of several pizzas and bags of chips strewn about, like fallen soldiers on a battle field. As small as Dawn was, she could certainly plow through the barbeque chips like there was no tomorrow.

"Okay, so since fake IDs are off the table," Solidad said, looking pointedly at Anna, "we need to figure out what we're going to do about Dawn."

Dawn sighed miserably. "It's fine. I'll just stay on the ship."

"Oh, come on, Dawn," Marina chided. "We're not going to leave you here all alone."

May giggled. "Oh, I doubt she'll be alone. I'm sure Paul will keep her company."

Dawn scowled and threw a pizza crust at May.

"Stop it. You're getting sauce on my carpet," Marina said. "And anyway, this whole conversation is stupid. I think we're forgetting something very important."

"What?" Solidad asked.

"Who do we have with us?" Marina raised an eyebrow. "Annaliese Devereaux. Do you think any bouncer is going to stop us if Anna's with us?"

"That's playing the fame card, though," Anna said, wrinkling her nose.

"Oh, get over it. You're famous. Deal," Marina said practically. Anna narrowed her eyes at Marina.

"Just because Jimmy turned into a total asshole doesn't mean you can take your anger out on me."

"Please. Jimmy has nothing to do with it," Marina replied haughtily. "You're not the only one who's allowed to be bitchy."

"Girls, girls," Solidad said. "If we fight amongst ourselves, the boys win."

Anna and Marina both snorted. "Right. Talked to Lance lately?"

Solidad flushed. Dawn giggled and asked, "Wait, the red haired guy? He's so cute!"

"I know," Marina said dreamily. Solidad threw an empty soda can at her.

"What happened to sisters before misters, huh? He broke my heart, and you're still mooning over him." 

"Honey, he could murder someone and I'd still think he's hot," Marina replied.

Anna, Dawn and May cracked up. Soon the air was thick with flying debris, and the fight only stopped when Anna got cracked in the eye with a soda can.

"Sorry!" Dawn squealed, looking terrified. Anna probed the injured area and winced.

"It's fine."

Dawn still looked afraid, however, because Anna added, "Seriously, relax. I'm not going to eat you."

May smiled, looking around the room. The atmosphere was so light, so comfortable here. She'd known Solidad and Dawn forever, of course, but even with Marina and Anna, who May had only known for a couple days, it felt as if they had been friends for years.

A pang of regret shot through May. That's how things used to be with Drew. They teased each other and got into fights, yeah, but May never felt like she had to pretend around him. It was easy to be around him, and May missed that.

" . . .come by my room after dinner and we'll get ready," Anna was saying.

"Can I dress May?" Marina asked excitedly. May just looked at her.

"Dress me in what, exactly?"

"Marina loves collecting clothes. Her closet is huge," Anna said, nodding at the wooden door behind them. "If you let her, she'll find the perfect dress for you."

"I could do Dawn too!" Marina exclaimed. She was on a roll, but when she turned to Anna and Solidad, they both smiled and shook their heads.

"Nope, sorry," Solidad said. "I already know what I'm wearing."

"And you don't have anything in black," Anna reminded her.

"Fine," Marina pouted, although Solidad quickly distracted her with a chocolate covered pretzel.

They stayed up for hours, talking and watching movies. Marina had quite the collection of rom-coms. Marina and Dawn got teary at the end of every movie, while Anna looked like she was about vomit. Solidad seemed indifferent, but halfway through the second movie, she leaned over and whispered, "If I ever act like any of the girls in this movie, you have every right to shoot me then and there. Put me out of my misery, please."

May laughed. It was easy to see how Solidad and Anna were sisters. Anna was more dramatic than Solidad, and whenever they were together, they seemed to bring the extremes out in each other, but deep down, May thought they were very much alike.

The next morning, May woke up tangled in a comforter. She was lying in front of the door, and her back protested from spending a night on the ground. She looked around the room and had to bite back a laugh. Bodies were everywhere, arms splayed out from under blankets, legs twisted at awkward angles. Anna was curled up under a chair, wrapped in her white lab coat.

May stood up quietly, slipping out the door. She went to her room, hoping that a hot shower would help her back. In comparison to Marina's room, May's felt cold and empty, as if she'd abandoned it. May showered and dressed, humming to herself as she got ready. It didn't take long to pick out her clothes, considering she was down to her last outfit. May pulled a black t-shirt on over cargo pants, then gathered up the rest of her clothes to go do laundry.

The laundry room was two decks down and tucked away on a quiet corner. There was a laundry service, of course, but May didn't want to risk losing her clothes. Besides, it gave her some quiet time to read. After she put the first load in, May propped herself against the wall and opened her book, listening to the comforting hum of the washer.

It was an interesting book, one that her mother had given her the day before she left for the cruise. May smiled as she read about famous coordinators and their battling styles. She paused when she came to an entry about Anna.

_Annaliese Devereaux, a Kanto native, took the coordinating world by storm at the age of eleven. By the time she was twelve, she already had three Ribbon Cups, and by thirteen, she had collected three more. With a battling style that is both terrifyingly powerful and heart wrenchingly elegant, Annaliese is a coordinator that likes of which hasn't been seen before. _

To an extent, May had known that Anna was famous, and that she was a powerful coordinator. But to see it written in a book like this, her name written up alongside other great coordinator, really drove the point home.

May was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Drew walk into the room, carrying a load of laundry. He stopped and looked at May, waiting for her to notice he was there. After a couple seconds, Drew cleared his throat, startling May out of her trance.

"Oh," she said once she recovered. She stared at him, waiting for the pending insult.

Instead, Drew blurted, "I'm sorry."

May blinked. "Come again?"

"Look, I was out of line the other night. I shouldn't have said what I did."

May narrowed her eyes. "And?" she asked icily.

"I just—"

"You're just, what? Sorry? Am I supposed to say, 'Oh, well in that case, all's forgiven!' and act like nothing happened?"

"Drew swallowed hard. "No. I'm not expecting that."

"Good, because that's only the tip of the iceberg. You could apologize until your face is blue and it wouldn't be enough."

"I know, which was why . . ." Drew trailed off. He looked so lost that May felt a pang of sympathy rattling against the icy bars she had locked around her heart.

Drew looked up at May, his green eyes regretful. "If I could go back, I would've done things differently. But I can't. Not unless I go and track down a Celebi, which definitely isn't happening. You don't have to forgive me, but if you did, I'd be very grateful."

May stared at him for a second and then laughed in disbelief.

"I don't believe you. You'd be _grateful_ if I forgave you?"

"Yes. Between you and me, it's kind of boring when you're not around to tease."

All at once, May felt her anger melt away. She tried to cling to it, but deep down, she wasn't really a vindictive person.

"You're impossible," she said.

Drew looked relieved and he started throwing his things into a washer.

"Yeah, well, Anna says I'm kind of screwed up, so I guess that makes sense."

Jealousy flared in May's chest, although she pretended not to recognize it for what it was. While May hadn't been talking to Drew, apparently Anna had. The idea of the two of them, sitting in some coffee shop and laughing over contest stories made May want to hit something. Instead, she changed the subject.

"Yeah, we're going out tonight. I'm sure with Anna there it won't be dull."

Drew started to respond, but stopped. Giggles echoed out into the hall, and then Jimmy and Jade were stumbling into the room. The two trainers were wrapped around each other so tightly May wondered if they could even breathe. They certainly couldn't breathe through their mouths, which were locked together in some sort of battle.

"Um . . ." May said. Drew cleared his throat loudly, bringing the couple back to reality.

"Oops!" Jade squealed, pulling Jimmy back out into the hallway. Her dark green hair was ruffled slightly, and May couldn't help notice the lip gloss smeared across her chin. Gross.

"Yeah, I guess this room's already taken," Jimmy said, waggling his eyebrows at Drew and May.

"What does Marina see in that guy?" May muttered, glaring at Jimmy's retreating form.

Drew didn't respond because he had suddenly become very interested in the settings on his washing machine.

"Drew?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Just a little mentally scarred. Too bad I forgot my bleach. I could use it to scour my mind."

May giggled. "As long as you promise to share."

They cracked up, their laughter filling the small room and enveloping them both. May smiled at Drew, marveling at how easy it was to fall back into their old rhythm.

"See you later, June," Drew said, flicking his hair and leaving.

"Drew!" Maybe a little too easy.

**So May and Drew are finally back on speaking terms. But don't think everything's back to normal with them. I'm not **_**that**_** nice. If you like this story, please take pity on me and leave a review. And if you're trying to avoid doing homework, I have a ton of oneshots up. Reading pneshots is excellent way to procrastinate. Trust me, I know. Thanks, and happy Friday! **


	8. Eggs and Rubies

**So here's chapter 8. I loved writing this chapter because this lays some of the groundwork for a later plot point, which will pick the pace up quite a bit. I hope you like it, and please review!**

Later, May flopped down on her bed with nothing else on her mind but taking a nap. It was weird, having so much free time. Usually, she spent most of the day traveling from place to place, stopping only to set up camp and train. It was lonely, yes, but very peaceful. There was a sense of tranquility that May hadn't been able to recapture on the ship, other than her brief stint up in the clouds.

Someone knocked on her door. May groaned and called, "Sorry, May's out at the moment. Please leave a message at the tone. Beep."

"You're not supposed to actually say beep," Anna said through the door.

"I don't care," May complained, dragging herself to her feet. She opened the door, wondering what she was in for now. Anna and Kriggs were standing outside, both dressed in identical white lab coats with ID cards pinned to their pockets. Anna looked slightly exasperated while Kriggs grinned in amusement, running a hand through his flyaway hair.

"I needed a break from this nutcase," Anna said, jerking a thumb at Kriggs. Kriggs just winked at May, causing her to blush. Kriggs was definitely cute, in a lanky, laid back sort of way. His green eyes seemed to dance, and May wondered how Anna could work with him all the time and not feel anything.

"She's just mad because—"

"Kriggs! Can we not discuss it?"

Kriggs rolled his eyes. "As you wish," he said graciously, pretending to sweep a hat off his head in respect. Anna just growled and grabbed May by the arm.

"Come on. I want you to see the lab. _Before _Kriggs manages to blow it up."

"How . . ." May inquired.

"He wasn't paying attention," Anna told May as she pulled her away.

"What can I say?" Kriggs called after them. "You distract me."

"Gah!"

Anna's lab was certainly remarkable. May had thought that Professor Oak's lab was state of the art, but Anna's lab made Professor Oak seem like a high school chemistry teacher.

"Whoa," May murmured, trying to take in everything at once. On one side of the room, the wall bent in, forming a semicircle. Monitors coated the wall like mirrors, their dark screens pulsing every now and then with trailing lines of numerical data. Obsidian black countertops ran the length of the opposite side of the room, their polished surfaces reflecting the white overhead lights. Tables covered with papers and files ran down the center of the room, with broken pencils and shredded bits of erasers scattered throughout the mess.

Anna looked at the table and shrugged apologetically. "I break things when I get on a roll. Kriggs made me stop using pens because the ink was getting everywhere."

May laughed. "This is amazing," she said, feeling a buzz of excitement run through her. She had never considered being anything other than a coordinator, but being a researcher suddenly seemed extremely appealing.

"Oh, no," Anna laughed, shaking her head. "Don't get that look. Trust me, this is a lot more boring than it looks."

"But it seems so fascinating."

"It is, but honestly, you'd hate it. In a lot of ways, _I_ hate it." Anna motioned towards May to follow her as she moved towards the far end of the room.

"If you hate it, why do you do it?" May asked in confusion. Anna sighed, pausing for a second.

"I started something a couple years ago, and I made a promise to see it through to the end. But after that, I think I'm done." Anna turned and smiled faintly at May. "Which is what I wanted to show you. Through here," Anna said, disappearing through a side door that May hadn't even noticed.

The second room was very small and very dark, with a deep blue light coming from the ceiling. On the wall opposite the door, two tall cylindrical structures rose from the floor, their glass windows dark and opaque. Anna placed a hand on one window, then another, and May gasped as the glass suddenly seemed to melt away, revealing the contents of the tubes.

"They're eggs," May whispered, unconsciously reaching out a hand. She stopped and jerked her hand back. "Sorry," she apologized, looking at Anna.

"It's fine. Here," she pulled the paler of the two eggs out from its protective casing and handed it to May.

"Ohh," May whispered in awe, cradling the egg in her hands.

"Can you guess what it is?" Anna asked, looking at May inquisitively.

May examined the egg. On top, it was a pale, creamy pink which gradually darkened to a flush rose towards the bottom. Swirls of blue and yellow crisscrossed the egg, sharpening into elegant points at times. May's head snapped up and her eyes met Anna's.

"Cresselia," she breathed.

Anna grinned. "Exactly."

"So, the other egg is . . ."

"A Darkrai. Kriggs and I spent months trying to positively identify them. These are what the top coordinator and trainer get at the end of the cruise."

"I don't get it. Why would you just . . . give these away?" May asked, handing the egg back to Anna. Anna nestled it back inside the casing and restored the opaque glass. May followed her back into the main part of the lab.

"Well, for starters, Kriggs isn't a trainer. Giving him a Darkrai would be like giving a little kid a flamethrower."

"But you were a trainer," May argued. "Paul said you were one of the best." Anna scowled, and May remembered how much Anna hated fanboying.

"I'm not training any new pokémon. That chapter's closed for me. "

"But it doesn't have to be!" May said excitedly. "You're not that much older than me. You could still—"

"No," Anna said firmly, shaking her head. "I'm just . . . done."

May sighed in frustration, but she let the subject drop.

"But that still doesn't answer my question. Why would you just give those eggs away? Especially the Cresselia. You can't give it to just anyone."

"I know. That's why I approached Gregory Casselton with the idea for this cruise. Kriggs and I both felt that if we could find the top trainer and coordinator, then we could entrust them with those eggs."

"Yeah, but still . . ."

"Come on, May. Do you really think I'd give those eggs to just anyone?" Anna asked, looking affronted.

"No," May conceded.

"Good," Anna said, satisfied. She reached absently into her coat pocket, and a perplexed look crossed her face. Anna pulled a large magnet out and looked at it thoughtfully.

"You ever just find things in your pockets and wonder how they got there?" Anna asked.

"No, not really," May giggled. Anna shrugged.

"Oh, well," and she tossed the bar across the room. It slid across the countertop before smashing through a line of beakers. Anna and May both winced at the sound of shattering glass.

"Whoops," Anna said, her eyes wide. "Kriggs might just kill me."

"Eh, I think you could outrun him," May said supportively.

Down the hallway, they heard a door slam. "Anna? What was that?"

"Let's test that theory. Run!" Anna whispered loudly. May squealed and sprinted after the dark-haired girl, both of them blowing past a bewildered Kriggs.

Later, after the adrenaline had faded, Anna showed May a little shop on one of the middle decks. Asteria's was a mixture between a coffee shop and chocolate store, and May almost fainted from sheer joy.

"Do you think they'll let me live here after the cruise is over?" May asked, taking her coffee from the waitress.

"Maybe. Kriggs might. Our research partnership's over in August, so he may just stay here and continue working out of the lab." Anna stared at her cup, swirling the dark liquid absentmindedly. She'd already explained to May that Kriggs had threatened to lock her out of the lab if she started drinking coffee, so she stuck to hot chocolate. Apparently, Kriggs didn't feel as though Anna needed any more energy

"You don't look too happy about that," May observed. Anna shrugged.

"I don't really care. Either way, I'm gone by September. My project's almost finished."

"The eggs?"

"Yep. So I'll probably just start traveling again."

"Really? That's surprising." May paused, trying to figure out how to word her question. "You and Kriggs seem really close."

Anna looked at May sharply. "Not _that_ close. I mean, we're friends." May just raised an eyebrow and smirked, glad to be able to return fire for once. Anna always seemed to have her off balance. It was like with Drew. Sometimes, it was nice to be on top.

"Oh, shut up," Anna retorted, flicking a crumpled napkin at May.

"You're avoiding the question," May said pointedly, ducking as another projectile came her way.

"You're asking if we're involved, right?" Anna asked.

"Well, yeah. I'm just curious," May said, holding her hands up defensively.

"Well, get used to it," Anna replied smugly. "And, since we're on this subject, let's talk about Drew some more. Obviously you're back on speaking terms."

"How do you know about that?" May demanded. Anna just smiled sweetly.

"Nothing happens on this ship that I don't know about. Especially with Lottie floating around."

"Solidad was right. She is a collaborator," May grumbled.

"Yes. Yes she is," Anna agreed. "But now _you're _changing the subject." Anna took a sip and winced, pulling away hastily. "Hot," she hissed, pressing a napkin to her mouth. She peered at May over the edge of the cloth. "I'm waiting."

"He . . . apologized," May said. "Which is weird, because he never apologizes for anything. Ever."

"Hmm . . ." Anna smiled noncommittally, although May detected a slight smile playing on the corners of her mouth. "You probably scared him with your cloud diving."

"Oh, so you saw that too?" May asked sarcastically.

"Eh, Lottie did. She showed me later. It was kind of funny, honestly."

"He almost killed me," May grumbled, remembering the terror of being knocked out of her dive.

"He was trying to save your life," Anna said, looking amused. "You scared the hell out of him."

May started to reply, but something else caught her attention. Something incredibly interesting.

"Oh. My. God," May whispered. On the other side of the room, Dawn and Paul were sitting down at a table. Dawn was blushing deeply but smiling, as if she couldn't believe what was happening herself. But there was something wrong with Paul's face.

"Is he . . . smiling?" Anna asked, leaning forward. May whimpered.

"That's so weird. I can't even . . . ugh. Oh, Dawn, why?" May groaned. Anna chuckled.

"I think that's our cue to leave. There's a back door, so we can avoid what I'm sure would be an incredibly awkward situation."

"Seriously."

Later, Anna and May briefed Solidad and Marina about Dawn's lunch date. Marina thought it was beyond adorable.

"Aw, that's so sweet! Coordinators and trainers are so cute together!"

"Are you talking from personal experience?" Solidad quipped. Marina hit her in the face with a pillow.

"You're still jaded because of Lance."

"Yes. Yes I am," Solidad agreed, sounding ridiculously like Anna.

Someone knocked on the door. "Hello?" Dawn called from outside.

Anna smiled mischievously and went to let her in. "Hello, Dawn."

"Or should we say, Mrs. Shinji?" May asked, grinning from her spot on the floor. Dawn turned bright red.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she tried, but everyone else just laughed.

"Riiiiiight," Marina said knowingly.

"Hey, Anna, what'd you do for lunch?" Solidad asked innocuously.

"Oh, not much. May and I went to this cute little café called Asteria's."

Dawn froze, her face a mask of perfect horror.

"Yeah, we were going to say hi," Anna added, "but we didn't want to interrupt anything."

Dawn whimpered slightly and threw herself face down on the bed. Marina and Solidad went back to going through clothes, chuckling, while Anna disappeared into the closet. May got up and sat down next to Dawn.

"Dawn, we're just messing with you. It's . . . cute," May said, although the word cute was a little hard to say. Of all the words she would ever use to describe Paul Shinji, cute wasn't one of them.

"I don't want to talk about it," Dawn said into the bed, her voice muffled.

"Guys, come on!" Marina said, throwing clothing at both girls. "We're going to be late."

"Alright, alright," May groused, picking up the dress Marina had hit her with. "What is this?"

Marina rolled her eyes. "It's a mini-dress, duh. You wear red a lot, so I thought it was a good pick."

"It looks so . . . short," May said dubiously. That earned her another eye roll from Marina.

"Hence the term 'mini-dress'."

Anna stuck her out of the closet and threw a pair of high heels to Marina.

"Here, give her these." Again, May looked dubious.

"They're so . . . high."

Marina opened her mouth, but May cut her off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Hence the term 'high heels', right?" Marina glowered at her.

"Just get changed. You'll like them better once they're on."

But even after May had gotten dressed, she still felt weird.

"Um, Marina, I don't think this is going to work."

Marina looked up and immediately burst into laughter.

"Hey," May said, looking hurt. Solidad had disappeared into the closet with Anna, but both girls came out to see what Marina was laughing about.

"Marina! She looks like a hooker!" Anna admonished, while Solidad covered her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"I do?" May wailed, trying to walk over to the mirror. She wasn't used to walking in such high heels, however, and she immediately face planted into the carpet. Anna hopped over piles of clothing and helped May up, looking amused.

"I think the dress shrank," Marina managed to gasp in between bouts of laughter. "It isn't supposed to be quite that tight. Here, try this. This should be better" Marina tossed another red dress to May, which looked slightly less risqué.

"It better be," May muttered, heading into the bathroom.

Forty-five minutes later, everyone was finally ready. Dawn was fidgeting nervously, tugging at the heavy gold locket that hung around her neck.

"Are you sure I'm not going to get arrested?" Dawn asked, looking imploringly at Anna.

"Relax, Dawn," Anna scoffed. "The worst that happens is you get turned away at the door."

"Which she's probably hoping for," Marina said dryly. "Then she can come back and hang out with Paul."

"Marina!"

"No fighting," Solidad chided, coming to stand in between the two bluenettes. Solidad's calm demeanor managed to keep the peace, so no more quarrels broke out before the girls arrived at the club. May's eyebrows rose in astonishment as the building came into view. The bricks had been painted with some sort of red glaze, and the high powered searchlights pointed at the building made the glaze glow a deep, ruby red.

"There's Ruby," Marina said excitedly.

Dawn raised an eyebrow. "The biggest club in _Ruby_moore is called _Ruby_?"

"Eh, they're not very creative here," Anna said casually. "Let's go."

May started toward the line snaking around the front of the building, but Solidad grabbed her arm.

"Around back. There's a V.I.P. entrance."

Anna made a face, but Marina glared at her.

"If you're not going to take advantage of your fame, the rest of us might as well."

Anna opened her mouth to reply, but she suddenly looked at something behind Marina. May turned and felt her heart plummet into her stomach. A group of guys was standing a couple yards away, including Drew.

It wasn't Drew, however, who had caught Anna's attention.

"Kriggs?" Anna said in astonishment. May suddenly recognized Kriggs as well. He looked different, but in a good way. A casual button down replaced his usual t-shirt, and instead of cargo shorts, he was wearing long blank slacks.

"Oh my God, it's Paul," Dawn whispered in horror, trying to hide behind May. And sure enough, there was Paul, turning to ask Drew something. Drew considered for a moment, and then shook his head. Then, Drew noticed May, and his eyes widened slightly.

May blushed and turned away, suddenly wishing she had worn something else. The red dress was flattering, but in a safe way. And May had insisted on wearing black leggings and ankle boots, instead of just plain black pumps. Now, standing next to the other girls, May felt like the frumpy one.

Drew turned and said something to the others, all of whom looked over and noticed the girls. Kriggs looked over at Anna, did a double take, and then started laughing. Anna's eyes narrowed to slits, and she marched over towards her research partner.

"Uh oh," Solidad murmured, moving to follow her sister. Marina and Dawn giggled.

"This will be fun," Marina said.

May felt her heart sinking lower and lower as she made her way towards Drew. It had to be somewhere around her feet by now, possibly lying in a puddle on the pavement behind them.

"What's so funny, Kriggs?" Anna asked icily, crossing her arms and fixing the tall boy with a glare that would reduce hardened intelligence officers to tears. Kriggs apparently had a death wish, however, because he kept laughing.

"Nothing," he snickered. Anna's eyes flashed dangerously, which even Paul seemed to notice.

"Uh, Kriggs?" Paul asked, shooting an uneasy glare at Anna.

"So I guess you're not cleaning the lab tonight?" Kriggs teased. "At least, not dressed like that."

Dawn and Marina giggled, earning them death glares as well. May silently agreed with Kriggs. Anna was wearing black leggings as well, only on her, they looked absolutely killer. She'd paired them with a long-sleeved button down blouse, and the silky fabric caught subtle waves of deep violet shadow in its folds. Above one of her high black heels, Anna had on a black chain anklet studded with dark purple stones that pulled the entire outfit together. May felt like a prude who was too scared to show off a little leg, while Anna looked ready to go dance the night away. Or assassinate someone. It probably depended on her mood.

But either way, it definitely wasn't what you wore to scrub down a research lab.

Anna opened her mouth to retaliate, but Marina cut her off.

"I think it's so cute how you're both wearing the same kind of shirt!" Marina sighed, earning frosty glares from both Kriggs and Anna.

Solidad cleared her throat. "So, anyway, we should probably head in."

Anna reined in her emotions and smiled tightly. "Soli's right. Let's go."

"The guys should come with us," Marina said brightly. This time, May and Dawn joined Anna in glaring at her. "Otherwise, they'll probably be waiting out here all night."

"Yeah, Anna. If I'm out here all night, who's going to clean the lab tomorrow?" Kriggs questioned smugly. Anna ignored him.

"I don't care," she said, walking towards the back of the building. Solidad and Marina caught up with her, and they linked arms, talking quietly amongst themselves. Dawn and Paul tried to fall back behind everyone, but Kriggs winked at May and went back to walk with them.

Which left Drew and May alone, in between both groups. Drew was looking anywhere but at May.

"I guess you were right," he said, his eyes trained straight ahead.

"About what?"

"Anna certainly makes things interesting."

"Oh, I think that was Kriggs' fault," May said casually. "It's so funny when he baits her like that."

_Here he goes, talking about Anna again. He's probably staring at her right now._

"I guess," Drew said.

May couldn't think of anything else to say. Even though they were back on speaking terms, things still weren't completely back to normal. The rapport they'd established that morning in the laundry room had vanished, and all May could do was pray not to embarrass herself too much.

Anna led the way to the alley behind Ruby, where a single bouncer sat outside a metal door, looking extremely bored. He looked like a normal guy in white t-shirt and denim jacket, but as they got closer, May could see how much muscle bulged through his sleeves. Suddenly, May wished they weren't trying to sneak an underage girl into the club.

The bouncer gave them a bored once over, but his gaze suddenly snapped back up to Anna. Usually, she was filled with mischievous energy. Now she was standing lazily in front of the bouncer, one hand on her hip and the other by her side. She looked completely comfortable standing in a dingy back alley behind a dance club.

"Annaliese Devereaux," the guard smiled, standing and shaking Anna's hand. "I guess the rumors are true. You came out of retirement."

Anna laughed winningly. "Oh, well, you know how rumors are."

"Well, if you're looking for a party, Ruby's definitely the scene right now. Enjoy," the bouncer said, opening the door.

May smiled at him as she went by, trying not to let him see how nervous she was. Behind her, she heard Dawn inhale sharply, although May was certain Dawn was giving the man one of her patented, bubbly smiles.

And then they were inside, the metal door shut behind them. May looked around. A long, dark hallway stretched away from them, and May could see smoke and strobe lights at the end. The music was louder here than it had been outside, and May already felt a headache coming on.

_Maybe I'm not cut out for the party scene_, May thought.

Everyone else apparently was.

"See? I told you no one would even look twice," Marina said, grinning at Dawn. Dawn giggled nervously, but she still looked pleased. Paul looked bored beside her, but May noticed that his hand was resting light on Dawn's elbow.

"Alright, enough chatter. I'm ready to hit the floor," Solidad said, causing Marina to hoot loudly. They both disappeared down the hallway, followed by Dawn and Paul. Anna turned and grinned at May.

"Ready?"

May looked around desperately, but there was nowhere to go.

"Um . . ."

"Come on, May. Compared to cloud diving, this should be a cinch," Drew said sarcastically. May started to glare at him, but Anna took her by the arm and said, "Let's go."

And she pulled May down the hallway and into the club.

**I was actually going to have this chapter be the club scene, but it was already so long by this point, I just decided to wait until the next chapter. Please take a second and leave me a review, especially if you have any constructive criticism, comments on character development, anything like that. Thanks!**


	9. Mean Girls and Muffins

**Um, so I was really hungry while I was writing this, and I wanted a muffin. You'll see why. Enjoy, and please review!**

Dancing was fun. Dancing in a smoky, crowded night club for three hours with music assaulting your ear drums like a jack hammer was not. May decided that she would be perfectly fine if she never went to another club as long as she lived.

The same could not be said for everyone else. Marina and Solidad were still right in the thick of things, dancing and flirting with a group of guys. Dawn had finally managed to drag Paul out onto the dance floor, and although he looked slightly self-conscious, he was at least attempting to go through the motions.

Dawn was really tearing it up. She looked like a princess in a pink silk tank top and white skinny jeans. The antique gold locket swung heavily around as she danced, bringing out the deep blue of her hair. May could understand why Paul, who had probably never danced before in his life, would try it just to please Dawn.

Anna and Kriggs, surprisingly, were dancing together. At first May had been confused, but then she noticed how Anna was purposely stepping on Kriggs' feet every time she turned. Kriggs was laughing and pretending he didn't care, but May saw him wince every time one of those black heels came down.

And Drew was . . . well, actually, May couldn't see Drew. He was probably surrounded by a group of fangirls or something. Even here, he was famous.

"I'm going to go outside," May mouthed to Anna, who rolled her eyes. She smiled leniently, however, so May just shook her head and made for the exit.

The outside air felt wonderful after the smoky, crowded atmosphere of Ruby. May inhaled the scent of summer and midnight deeply. She and Max had always argued about that. May was convinced that midnight smelled different than any other time of the night, while Max just told her she was crazy. Come to think of it, he told her she was crazy a lot . . .

May went and found a bench where she could look out at the ocean. Ruby was right on the waterfront, and May had a perfect view of the full moon rising against a star filled sky. When she had first gotten her invitation to the cruise, she had imagined views like these. It was a bit ironic that she was sitting outside a night club instead of on the ship, but hey, May wasn't going to complain.

"Nice night," Drew commented, appearing beside her. Inside, May jumped like a startled rabbit, but she was proud to say she kept her cool on the outside.

"Yeah, it is," she replied nonchalantly. Drew sat down next to her, close enough to make May's heart flutter slightly. He smelled like soap, although May pretended not to notice.

"How's training going?" May asked, trying to get her thoughts away from fluttering hearts and soap.

"Fishing for information?" Drew smirked.

"No!" May replied indignantly.

"Really? Because I would think you'd need all the help you can get."

"I don't need any help, especially not from you," May said testily.

"Good. So you won't be too mad when I win that Cresselia?" Drew asked, shooting her a cocky grin.

"Oh, please. We all know Solidad's going to win," May scoffed. Drew shot her a puzzled glance.

"So you don't think you even have a shot?" he asked.

"Against you? Definitely. But do I think I'm actually going to win?" May paused, considering. "No, not really," she shrugged.

"Not with that attitude, you won't," Drew said, shaking his head.

"Hey, I'm just being realistic," May said defensively.

"I don't understand how, after all this time, you still don't have any confidence in yourself," Drew said in disbelief.

"I do have confidence in myself. It's just . . . I know I'm not the best. I'll do the best I can, of course, but I'm not kidding myself. Honestly, I'm sort of the weak link in this group."

Drew eyes flashed, but before he could say anything, Dawn came running up to them, looking worried.

"Something's going on," she said, her eyes wide. "I think it's Marina."

May was already up and moving, Dawn and Drew not far behind her.

Inside, the club had quieted down quite a bit, and a ring of onlookers surrounded the center of the dance floor. May pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring the nasty glares people shot at her. She finally managed to break through the final row of spectators; she stopped short when she saw what was going on.

Jade, in a sparkling emerald dress not unlike the one May had refused to wear, was standing in the middle of the circle, sneering nastily at Marina. Her dark green hair was styled in a sharp bob that emphasized the cruel light in her eyes, sharp metal earrings dangling around her face. Solidad and Anna were nowhere to be seen, but Jimmy stood off to the side, looking back and forth between both girls. Marina looked stricken, tears welling in her clear blue eyes.

". . . as if you really deserve to be a Head," Jade was saying. "The only reason you got the job is because the local celebrity took pity on you. She probably heard about how you grew up dirt poor."

"Jade . . ." Jimmy said warningly, but Jade kept talking over him.

"What was the story? Oh, yeah, that's right. You and your little white trash family lived in a dingy little trailer, just like all the other garbage pickers. But your dad was stupid even for an uneducated hick, because he somehow managed to set the place on fire. He was probably drunk or high, maybe even both. Too bad they pulled you out before you could get all crispy like your parents, then no one would have to deal with your ugly mug now."

"Jade!" Jimmy's voice was louder now, and May was glad to see he finally looked angry.

"Shut up, Jimmy," Jade snapped. "I always knew you had a soft spot for the little whore. If Annaliese Devereaux was a man, I would have said Marina slept her way into the job. Although, there are those rumors about Annaliese and her 'sister' . . ."

"I think that's enough," Anna said quietly, stepping out of the crowd. Marina still seemed frozen in place, but Solidad appeared and led her out of sight.

"I think you should go," Anna said, her voice deadly soft.

"Or what?" Jade sneered. "You'll set your guard dog on me? That little brat who's really some mutated pokémon?"

"I'm not going to do anything to you," Anna said simply. "You're already an absolutely horror. There's nothing I need to do."

Anna turned to Jimmy, and such an expression of blazing fury swept over her face when she looked at him that Jimmy actually stumbled backwards. Then, Anna simply turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd after Marina and Solidad.

Drew tugged on May's sleeve from behind. Dawn had vanished, probably off to find Paul, so May and Drew pushed their way back through the crowd alone. Drew kept a firm grip on May's wrist to keep them from being separated.

As they exited the building, May felt a blast of her own fury wash across her. She turned around suddenly, intent on wiping that smirk of Jade's face the hard way. Preferably with a brick.

"Oh no, you don't," Drew said, catching her around the waist. "If you beat her up, you'll get kicked off the cruise, and then I won't have the pleasure of defeating you personally."

May didn't even notice the quip. Marina was one of the kindest, gentlest people she had ever met, and for some _bitch_ to say those things to her . . . well, May suddenly realized that she understood murderers a lot better than she had fine minutes ago.

"Hmm. I guess you weren't really mad at me after all," Drew said thoughtfully. "I mean, you never tried to beat the crap out of me like this."

May chuckled darkly, but stopped trying to get back into the club. "Believe me, you can pretty close sometimes."

Drew laughed, and May realized he was still holding her around the waist. He let go quickly and stepped back, his face flushing slightly.

May grinned crookedly at him. "Let's go fine the others."

Paul and Kriggs were leaning against the wall outside of a coffee shop a few buildings down from Ruby, both looking extremely troubled.

"They're in the bathroom," Kriggs said. May nodded and went inside.

The coffee shop had a warm, cozy atmosphere, and the woman behind the counter directed her to the bathroom with a sympathetic smile on her face. May paused before entering, wondering what she'd find.

The first thing she saw was Marina. The older girl was sitting on a bench, staring ahead blindly, and her pale, tearless visage was worse than the crying May had been expected. Dawn and Solidad were standing next to her, both looking worried, while Anna was sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around her knees and her eyes closed, breathing heavily.

May didn't say anything. She just went over and wrapped her arms around Marina. She leaned her head on May's shoulder, and they sat like that for a minute, just listening to the silence. Then, Marina pulled away and looked at May, her blue eyes filled with anguish.

"Jade's right," Marina said hoarsely. "That's how I grew up. That's what I was. What I am."

Anna's head snapped up, her eyes blazing. "No it is _not_."

"Marina, listen to me," May said firmly.

Marina's gaze was suddenly very tired, as if she was exhausted beyond tears.

"I just—"

"Listen! You are one of the kindest people I have ever met. I've never heard you say a mean thing about anyone, even Jade. You have friends who would go to war for you—"

"Obviously," Anna interjected, and Dawn and Solidad nodded vehemently.

"— and, honestly, if Jade wants to go and run her mouth, she can go ahead. Because even though Anna might be above kicking her ass, I'm not."

Marina chuckled. "I'd pay money to see that."

Solidad snorted. "Yeah, really. One skinny white girl kicking another skinny white girl's ass."

"She could do it, too," Dawn giggled. "Have you ever seen May when someone steals her food? And she values her friends way more than food."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's not get too crazy," May said, holding up a hand. Marina laughed, and pretty soon all five girls were clutching their sides, tears streaming down their faces.

"You know, when Jade tried to make you cry, I bet she didn't think it'd be like this," Solidad said, sighing as she wiped her eyes.

Marina just smiled.

"Group hug!" Dawn squealed.

"Do we have to?" Anna complained, but Marina grabbed her and dragged her in.

When the girls came out of the bathroom, they found Drew, Kriggs, and Paul sitting at a table, talking quietly amongst themselves. They all looked relieved to see the girls laughing and smiling.

Drew sighed in mock exasperation. "Great. May's here. Everyone, hide your food."

May stuck her tongue out as she slid into the booth beside him. Drew tried to scoot over to give her more room, but they all got kind of squished as everyone squeezed in around the table. If she was being completely honest with herself, which May tried not do, she didn't really mind being that close to Drew.

"We had to get muffins," Kriggs said, almost apologetically. "They were all out of cupcakes."

Anna narrowed her eyes at him. "I knew I should've gone with the Asian guy instead," she muttered.

Kriggs pretended to laugh. "Very funny. But you wouldn't have fallen madly in love with the Asian, now would you?" Kriggs grinned, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"The difference from you being?" Anna asked, taking a bite out of a muffin. Kriggs collapsed back against the back of the seat in mock dismay.

"You wound me."

Anna just rolled her eyes and kept chewing.

Solidad looked at May suddenly and tilted her head slightly towards Dawn and Paul, raising her eyebrows. Dawn was starting to doze off, her head resting against Paul's shoulder, and while he didn't let on that he noticed, May saw how carefully he kept from moving that side of his body, to avoid jostling Dawn. She smiled at Paul, who just looked away, blushing.

"So, since we've all had enough excitement for one night," Anna said, crumpling the muffin wrapper in her hand, "I vote we go back to the ship and gorge ourselves on junk food and video games."

"I'll second that," Solidad said, and even Paul looked slightly interested.

Just then, the bell jangled as the coffee shop door opened. May didn't bother to look to see who it was, but Marina's face suddenly drained of color. Thinking it was Jade, May started to get up. Skinny white girl or not, she was still pissed.

Drew held her back. "Wait," he whispered.

Jimmy came up nervously to the table, his dark hair unruly, his face still flushed from the club.

Anna and Solidad stared at him icily.

"Can we help you with something?" Solidad asked, her voice sharp enough to slice bone.

Jimmy looked across the table at Marina. "Can we talk?" Jimmy asked quietly.

Anna started to get up, but Kriggs put a hand on her shoulder.

"Now's probably not a good time," Kriggs said coolly, his face a mask of diplomacy. "Why don't we see how everyone is tomorrow?"

"It's fine," Marina said shortly, getting up. "I don't really care."

Anna and Solidad both looked like they were going to object, but Marina gave them a stern glance. She followed Jimmy outside, the bell clanging loudly behind them.

"I hope she gives him a piece of her mind," Anna said darkly, grabbing another muffin.

Drew snorted. "What happened to forgiveness and holding on to good thoughts and all that?"

"Utter nonsense," Anna replied calmly, tearing the muffin into pieces.

"Hey, you're torturing a perfectly innocent pastry," May said.

"Wait, are muffins pastries?" Kriggs asked. "I always thought that cupcakes were pastries."

'"Yeah, and muffins were their lesser liked relatives," Paul said, as if this was a perfectly normal conversation to be having.

"No," Drew said, joining in with a grin. "Muffins are cupcakes but without the frosting. So they're like the ugly cousins at a family reunion."

"That's so mean!" Dawn exclaimed, startling out of her doze.

"Go back to sleep, Dawn," Paul sighed.

The girls all exchanged incredulous looks.

"And you wonder why I don't date," Anna said, pointing at May with half a muffin.

"I'm starting to understand you're point," May said agreeably.

The bell jingled again, and Marina appeared, looking cool and collected. She didn't say anything about Jimmy, and he wasn't there. She just sat down and started eating a muffin in tiny, dainty bites.

"What?" Marina asked, raising an eyebrow. Everyone looked away.

"Nothing, nothing," Kriggs said. "But let me get your opinion on something. Do you or do you not . . . consider muffins pastries?"

Everyone laughed at the look on Marina's face.

**The name of this chapter came to me right I was typing Kriggs' last line, and I thought, "I should watch **_**Mean Girls**_** one day while eating a muffin. That would be perfect." Anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter, and if you love muffins as much as I do, please review. Thanks!**


	10. Battles and Bets

**Battles, bets, and turtlenecks! Hey, that sort of rhymed . . . anyway, it's time for a pokémon battle! Whoo! Anna vs. Paul, and only one will survive . . . Okay, that's not true. This isn't a Hunger Games fic. But seriously, I hope you guys like this chapter. It took me forever to decide on where to go from chapter 9. If you really want to make me a happy little writer, sitting here, all alone, in my room, with no life, then please leave a review. Thanks!**

Inside Anna's room, pandemonium reigned. Kriggs had somehow managed to find a Wii on board, and everyone was currently locked into sudden death Mario Kart. They were playing teams, and Solidad and Marina were getting completely destroyed by Dawn and Paul.

Outside, Drew was standing on the deck, staring at the reflection of the moon on the water. He had needed a break from Marina's anguished cries and Dawn victory whoops. May quietly came outside and stood next to him, but Drew was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice.

"Boo!"

Drew jerked back, a strangled yelp piercing the still night air. May giggled and pulled herself onto the railing, swinging her legs back and forth like a child.

"Gotcha," she informed him. Drew just scowled at her and went back to leaning against the rail. "What do you want?" he asked tersely.

"You know, there's still a party going on in there. You don't have to be out here all alone."

_I'm always alone_. The thought sprang into Drew's mind unwanted and unbidden.

"I just needed a second," he replied casually, trying to keep his cool. The façade didn't fool May, though.

"There's something bothering you," she said, staring at him thoughtfully. "You've been acting weird ever since the club."

"I'm fine," Drew insisted, although his voice sounded weak even to his own ears.

"It's what Jade said," May decided, nodding. Drew cringed internally. Jade's words had been cycling through his mind ever since he left Ruby. He had been unable to shake the fact that her insults, intended for Marina, had pierced him with a dagger of truth as well.

Worthless family, waste of space, disgrace to respectable people everywhere . . . hadn't that been the essence of what Jade had been calling Marina? And yet, Jade's barbs had had an unintended victim. Every word she had spewed had hit Drew right in the heart, driving home every bad thought he'd ever had about himself.

Drew had thought he had managed to hide it well. He'd joined in with Paul and Kriggs in the coffeehouse, laughing and acting like nothing was wrong. And yet, May had still noticed.

"Why would I care what Jade said?" Drew asked, not meeting May's eyes.

"You tell me, Drew," she replied quietly.

Whatever response Drew had been lining up to toss at her, it died in his throat. He hesitated for a moment, a thousand confessions teetering on the edge of his lips, but he swallowed them all.

"I'm going back inside. Rematch?" Drew asked lightly. May stared at him for a moment, and then sighed.

"Alright, but be warned. I've got a red turtle shell with your name on it."

"Game on."

The days passed swifter than May would have thought, a mix between training and goofing around. Marina and Anna both had obligations as Heads, but whenever they weren't busy, the group would gather in Anna's room, playing games and eating their way through her seemingly inexhaustible supply of junk food.

Kriggs winked at May one day and told her how they got the food from the kitchen. One of the girls who worked there had a thing for Kriggs, so he'd distract her while Anna snuck the food upstairs. May had laughed, clearly imagining Kriggs turning up the charm while Anna smuggled bags of Doritos under her sweatshirt.

Despite the antagonistic front the two researchers put on, May could see how well they worked together. She had stopped by the lab one day to say hi, and had watched them performing an experiment together. Anna didn't even need to articulate what she wanted Kriggs to do: he already knew. And when Kriggs had suggestions for tweaking procedure, Anna was writing down the change even before he finished speaking.

May wondered if Anna knew how attuned to each other they were. She didn't think it was a good idea to point it.

Life became predictable as everyone settled into their routines. And as much as May tried to convince herself that she liked things that way, she was starting to get a little bored. So when, two and a half weeks into the cruise, Paul decided to shake things up, May couldn't help but feel a little thrill of anticipation.

Everyone was eating lunch on the balcony they had watched the opening ceremony from when Paul suddenly looked up, determination stamped on his face.

"I want a battle," he said, staring at Anna with those flat, dark eyes. She just raised an eyebrow.

Kriggs laughed. "Are you sure? Isn't it a little early to get pulverized?"

Paul shot him a narrow eyed glare, but he turned back to Anna and said, "I just want to see for myself if you're as good as everyone always said."

Anna exchanged a glance with Solidad, and then nodded. "Alright. But be warned: I'm not going to go easy on you."

Paul grinned. "Excellent."

"Alright, here we go," Marina called, looking back and forth between both trainers. They were in one of the battle rooms on a lower deck of the ship. Anna grinned in anticipation and nodded at Paul, who returned the gesture.

"Okay, this is a three on three battle and there is no time limit. Let the battle begin!" Marina raised a green flag, bobbing up and down in excitement.

"Drapion, let's go," Paul yelled.

"Vulpix, hit it," Anna said, flicking her hair behind her ears.

Drapion towered like a nightmare monster over the cute fire-fox pokémon, who mewed slightly and waved her tail.

"Drapion, night slash," Paul commanded. Anna just smiled.

"Isn't she going to do something?" Dawn whispered frantically. May watched in suspense as Vulpix mewed again, watching Drapion get closer and closer. Vulpix turned to Anna and cocked her head slightly.

"You know what to do," Anna said.

"I can't watch," Dawn moaned, covering her eyes with her hands. Drapion was right on top of Vulpix, and May couldn't see how things would end well for the cute, fluffy pokémon.

And then Vulpix was gone, Drapion's nigh slash cutting harmlessly into the ground. It roared in confusion, turning in circles to try and locate its opponent.

"On its back," Drew said, looking astonished. And, sure enough, there was Vulpix, clinging to one of the ridges on Drapion's spine. May could have sworn the pokémon was smiling, an evil little smile not unlike the one her trainer liked to sport.

"Fire blast," Anna said calmly.

Drapion didn't even stand a chance. The inferno that burst out of Vulpix's tiny little mouth engulfed them both completely, burning white hot. Everyone who was watching had to shield their eyes from the light, and when the flames finally cleared, Drapion was lying in a charred heap on the ground. Vulpix sat a few yards away, daintily cleaning a paw.

"Drapion is unable to battle!" Marina declared, raising a flag. Paul grimaced and withdrew Drapion.

"Gastrodon, come out," Paul said. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Uh oh. Water and ground? Vulpix might be in trouble," she called, but Paul just looked at her suspiciously.

"You still good?" Anna asked the pokémon. Vulpix nodded and sprang up, her tail flaring out behind her.

"Gastrodon, water pulse then triple mud bomb."

"That's smart," Solidad murmured. "If that water pulse hits Vulpix, not only will it weaken her, but there's a good chance Vulpix may become confused. And if she's weakened and confused, there's no way she'll withstand those mud bombs."

Gastrodon was incredibly fast, sending a powerful water pulse hurtling towards Vulpix, then shooting off there massive mud bombs.

"Vulpix, evasion tactics."

Unfortunately for Gastrodon, as fast as it was, Vulpix was much faster. It was like watching a fiery red comet blur around the battle field. May could barely keep up as Vulpix wove around Gastrodon's attacks, again ending up in close quarters to Paul's pokémon.

"Confuse ray, Vulpix."

Vulpix leapt off of the ground and landed on top of Gastrodon's head. The massive pokémon tried to buck Vulpix off, but she managed to keep her hold. May barely saw the confuse ray appear before it sunk right into the middle of Gastrodon's forehead. Vulpix bounded away, giving Gastrodon room to thrash around disconcertedly.

"Extrasensory," Anna commanded.

"What?" May whispered to Drew. "I didn't even know Vulpix could learn extrasensory."

Drew nodded. "It's an extremely difficult move to teach, but it can be done. I told you Anna was the best."

May frowned and turned back to the match without a reply.

The full brunt of Vulpix's extrasensory slammed into the confused Gastrodon, who stumbled back slightly, swayed once, and then fell.

"Gastrodon is unable to battle," Marina confirmed, the flag descending for a second time. Paul gritted his teeth as he withdrew Gastrodon.

"Your turn, Electivire," Paul said, sweat dripping down his face.

Sparks flew and thunder rumbled as the intimidating yellow and black pokémon landed on the battle field. May felt the hair on her arms stand up from all the static electricity in the air, and she wondered how Vulpix would fair against Paul's best pokémon.

"Thunderbolt, rapid fire," Paul ordered, and Electivire complied readily. Blast after blast shocked the field, arcing straight down towards a seemingly helpless Vulpix.

"All right, girl, let's dance," Anna said, leaning forward. Vulpix turned into a blur again as she began avoiding the thunderbolts, moving even faster than before. Although it seemed to be working, May didn't think the fox pokémon would be able to keep up that speed for very long. Electricity kept slamming into the battle field, leaving a warren of smoking scorch marks behind.

"Vulpix is trying to close the distance again," Dawn said, eyeing the scene with apprehension.

And she was right. With every blurring dodge, Vulpix moved closer and closer to Electivire. But Paul seemed to have picked up on Anna's tricks.

"Shock wave, Electivire," Paul directed. A blast of white electricity burst from the pokémon, and this time, there was nowhere for Vulpix to go.

"Vulpix, inferno," Anna commanded. Orange-red flames erupted around Vulpix before burning a searing blue. The flames surged across the battlefield, colliding with the shock wave from Electivire. Thick plumes of black, acrid smoke filled the room, and for a second, no one could see anything.

Then, the smoke began to clear, revealing both pokémon still standing, facing off from opposite sides of the field. Electivire roared in defiance, while Vulpix made a noise that May could only describe as a chortle.

"Vulpix, use dig," Anna said. Vulpix mewed happily and disappeared into the earth, where not even the most powerful electric attacks could reach her.

Horror flashed across Paul's face. "Electivire, use—" Paul never got a chance to finish his command. Vulpix came barreling up from beneath Electivire, scoring a direct hit. Electivire hit the ground hard, out for the count.

"Electivire is unable to battle. Paul is out of pokémon. The winner is Anna!" Marina raised a gold flag in Anna's direction. Anna nodded in respect at Paul as she withdrew Vulpix. He nodded back, shaking his head slightly in amazement.

"That was absolute carnage," Kriggs whispered to May, and she giggled. Drew and Dawn shot them both dirty looks.

"Relax, Dawn. It's nothing personal against your boyfriend," Kriggs teased. Dawn blushed and muttered something about Paul not being her boyfriend. Kriggs grinned at May and raised an eyebrow, and she giggled again.

"Yeah, Drew, what's your problem?" May teased, but Drew just turned away, his face hard.

Marina, Paul, and Anna reached the stands at the same time, their expressions ranging from thrilled, awed, and moderately self-conscious, respectively.

"Can I battle you next?" Drew asked. "But as coordinators?"

Anna laughed and ran a hand through her hair. "Sure, but some other time. I'm exhausted."

Paul looked at her incredulously. "How are you tired? You wiped the floor with me using a single pokémon. And a Vulpix at that."

Dawn patted Paul on the shoulder comfortingly. "Yeah, I think that's enough battling for one day."

"We have to get upstairs for a training session anyway," Marina said, checking her watch. Anna groaned.

Solidad whacked her on the head. "Show a little more maturity, Saori."

"Saori? I thought that was your name, Solidad?" Dawn asked.

Anna and Solidad shrugged. "My real name's not actually Devereaux," Anna admitted. "Solidad and I came up with that when I started competing. It sounded like a good stage name."

"Anna Saori," Kriggs said thoughtfully. "Eh, I like Anna Kriggs better."

"Don't you have some test tubes to go clean?" Anna asked sweetly. "Like, all of them?"

"Oh, come on. Scut work? Really?" Kriggs complained.

"I warned you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, yeah," Kriggs grumbled. "I'm going."

"And we should, too," Marina reminded Anna.

"I'm going, I'm going," she groused.

Marina jabbed her in the side and then danced away, narrowly avoiding getting slapped upside the head.

"Keep it up and I'll make you sit in on the Trainers' sessions with Jimmy."

"I wouldn't even care," Marina said aloofly, flicking her long blue hair behind her back.

Anna snorted. "Fine. I'll make you run drills with Jade and Jimmy."

Marina gasped. "You wouldn't." Still bickering, they left the training room.

Solidad sighed and looked at May. "It never ends, does it?" 

"Not that I've ever noticed."

Dawn giggled. "Ok-ay, well, see you guys later then," she said, dragging Paul away. May noticed that although he didn't look overly thrilled, he wasn't resisting that hard either.

Solidad and May exchanged glances. "Ten bucks she comes to dinner in a turtleneck," Solidad wagered.

"Fifteen says she doesn't even come to dinner."

"You're on, Maple."

Drew's face was bright red, clashing so horrendously with his sea-green hair that May and Solidad burst out laughing. "You can't just . . . I mean . . . _guys_!" he spluttered.

"Aww, ickle Drewy's all embarrassed," Solidad teased. Drew glared at her.

"Who's side are you on?" he demanded.

May snickered. "Lance's," she coughed. Solidad stopped laughing immediately.

"What was that, Maple?" Solidad asked quietly, her eyes a sharp, deadly blue. May screamed and ducked behind Drew.

"Help! She's going to kill me!"

Drew turned around and grabbed May, holding her in front of him. "She's all yours, Soli."

Solidad smiled at Drew. "Thanks, buddy."

"Traitors," May grumbled, not focusing at all on the fact that Drew's arms were wrapped around her, or the fact that he smelled like soap again. Or the warmth that was slowly spreading through her body, or . . . argh!

May broke away and muttered something about taking a nap. Drew and Solidad looked at each other in confusion as she stomped off.

"Was it something I said?" Drew asked.

**So, lessons learned. Vulpix is a boss, Dawn and Paul are insanely cute, and Drew smells like soap. Which May seems to notice. A lot. Anyway, 10 reviews would be wonderful (hint hint), but hey, no pressure. Later!**


	11. Scalpels and Needles

**Chapter 11, yay! I'm not sure exactly how long this story will be, but probably at least another ten chapters. Anyway, thanks a lot for reading, and please review!**

That night at dinner, Solidad grudgingly slapped fifteen dollars into May's outstretched hand. Dawn and Paul hadn't been seen all afternoon, although everyone had a pretty good idea what they were doing. Still, the dinner table felt weird without Paul's surly pragmatism or Dawn's bubbly cheer. Anna and Kriggs weren't around, either. Solidad mentioned something about a new data set, so they were eating down in the lab. The whole table felt unbalanced, and Jimmy's sudden appearance didn't help things. He hovered above Dawn's empty chair, which just happened to be next to Marina.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked, looking at Marina.

"I don't care. I was done anyway," she said with a shrug, getting up to clear her plate. Jimmy watched her go regretfully.

Solidad glared at Jimmy. "Can you just leave her alone?"

Jimmy ran a hand through his hair, looking distraught. "I've been apologizing for days. I don't what else to do."

"Maybe you shouldn't have been such an ass in the first place," Solidad replied coldly.

"I get it, okay? What do you want me to do?"

Solidad sniffed. "Jumping off the ship would be a good start."

"Oh, right," Jimmy scoffed. "And by the way, can you please call Lance back so he'll stop bugging me?"

Solidad's eyes flashed dangerously. May looked at Drew and raised an eyebrow. He nodded, and they fled the dining room together just as Solidad and Jimmy started shouting at each other.

"Do you think we should have stayed?" May fretted as they walked down the deck. The wind was strong, and May kept brushing her hair out of her face.

"Absolutely not." Drew shook his head. "I think Jimmy and Solidad need to work their problems out on their own."

May sighed. "I guess. I just wish Marina would forgive him already."

"Why?" Drew asked incredulously. "He treated Marina like crap. I thought you'd be on her side."

"I am," May said quickly. "But he apologized. Like, a lot. And I think Marina would feel better if she forgave him and got on with her life."

"Hmm . . ."

"What?"

Drew chuckled. "Nothing. You held a grudge against me for months and months, but the minute I apologized . . ."

"Shut up," May said, swatting his arm. "And I still haven't totally forgiven you."

Drew snorted. "Really? You could've fooled me."

"Just for that, you can spend the rest of the night by yourself," May said coolly. Drew laughed as she started to walk away.

"Oh, come on. Where are you going?"

"To hang out with Anna and Kriggs."

"You mean to bother Anna and Kriggs."

"Shut up."

"Make me, September."

May smiled in spite of herself.

In the lab, Kriggs was hunched over a microscope, his white lab coat smeared with various chemicals, and, May was pretty sure, singed in more than one spot. Anna was sitting on the counter, rummaging through a cabinet. Lottie was curled up on a chair, sleeping, her blonde hair falling slightly in front of her face.

"Knock, knock," May said. Kriggs looked up briefly and nodded before returning to his microscope. Anna just chuckled.

"Either someone's fighting or someone's making out. I'm going to guess fighting?"

"You'd be correct," Drew said dryly.

Anna shut the cabinet door and got down off the counter. "If you're looking for a sedative . . ."

"No one's getting drugged," Kriggs warned. Anna sighed in disappointment.

"You're never any fun."

Drew grinned as he and May sat down at the table.

"Hey, can I ask you something about the battle today?" May said, looking at Anna hesitantly.

"Sure. What's up?"

"I'm a little confused. How did you make it as a coordinator?"

"May!" Drew exclaimed.

"It's fine," Anna said, waving him down. "What do you mean?"

"Well, those attacks were all really powerful, but none of them were particularly beautiful," May said.

Kriggs rolled his eyes. "That's because Anna has too much time on her hands."

Anna made a face at her research partner. "What Kriggs means to say is, I like to keep my battles and contests separate."

May frowned slightly. "So you have completely separate battling styles, one as a trainer, the other as a coordinator?"

Anna nodded. "Yep."

"Hold on," Kriggs said, holding up a finger. "You have all that time to develop a million different battling strategies, but you can't find two hours to go on a date with me?"

Anna smacked him upside the back of his head. "I spend almost the entire day with you in this lab, you dolt! How much more of my time do you want?"

"Lab time doesn't count," Kriggs argued. "Experimenting with dangerous chemicals isn't exactly romantic."

"Aw, Kriggs, I thought you knew me," Anna teased.

"Wow, May, I can't believe you really asked her that," Drew muttered, shaking his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" May snapped.

"Anyone with half a brain could have figured it out for themselves."

"Stop calling me stupid!" May shouted, standing up.

Drew shrugged. "I never did. I just said—"

"Yeah I know what you said, but what you meant was—"

"Oh dear lord, shut _up_!" Anna yelled, startling them both into silence. She looked at Kriggs with wide eyes. "They're worse than us!"

Kriggs shook his head. "I know. It's just sad. At least we'll admit we're in love."

Anna reached slowly into a drawer and pulled out a very large scalpel. Kriggs yelped and ran, knocking over a stack of petri dishes on his way out. Anna shook her head and returned the scalpel to the drawer. "Great, now I have to go drag him back in here. If he thinks he's getting out of lab duty tonight, he's in for a rude awakening."

Drew winced. "Just as long as you don't 'awaken' him with the scalpel, alright?"

"Of _course_ not," Anna said reassuringly. Drew started to relax, but then Anna added, with a wicked smile, "Needles are much more effective."

Drew groaned as Anna followed Kriggs out the door. May waited until Anna's footsteps faded down the hallway before she burst into laughter. She laughed so hard her sides hurt, and she slid down to the floor with tears streaming down her face.

Anxiously, Drew crouched down next to.

"May, are you alright?"

May nodded, wiping ineffectually at the tears.

"They're just so funny."

Drew just stared at her, and May realized belatedly how awful she must look. Her face was probably bright red and tear streaked, her hair a mess from the wind outside. No wonder Drew was looking at her like she was a circus attraction.

"What?" May asked defensively, trying to cover up her own self-consciousness.

"Nothing," Drew sighed, sitting down next to her. "You really haven't changed much." May gave him a weird look.

"Should I have?"

"No, not at all," Drew said, shaking his head. "Of course, one would expect some growth in a person after seven months, but I guess . . ." he trailed off, smirking at her.

May smirked right back. "Oh, yeah? You probably haven't changed that much either. I remember how you used to be. I bet I could make you really uncomfortable, really fast."

"Yeah, right," Drew scoffed.

May leaned in close, her face an inch from his. She heard his breath catch, and she moved a hand onto his neck. Drew jerked back, grabbing her hand. He was breathing heavily, his face flushed bright red.

"Ha!" May said triumphantly. "I knew it!"

Drew tried to play it off. "You don't know anything."

"I know you still can't handle attention from girls," May said smugly. "Don't try and lie. I remember how you used to get when the fangirls would swarm."

For a second, Drew was quiet, and then a devilish grin lit up his face. He jabbed May in the side, causing her to fall backwards onto the floor. Then he was on top of her, their faces as close as they had been before, his arms on either side of her head.

"Two can play at that game," he murmured into her ear. May tried to keep her

breathing steady, but she failed miserably. A shiver went up her spine as she met his gaze, and for a long time, neither of them moved. May wondered how long they would have stayed like that if they hadn't heard Anna and Kriggs coming back down the hallway.

In a flash, Drew was up and helping May to her feet. His face was still very red, and she suspected her own was too, but May adopted what she hoped was a bored expression as she leaned back against the table.

Anna was holding Kriggs by the ear, pulling him behind her as she strode into the lab. She let go and shoved him away from her.

"You're abusive. This is partner abuse," Kriggs complained. "I'm calling the Scientific Ethics Committee."

"That only works if you're a test subject," Anna laughed.

"Dammit," Kriggs muttered. He looked at May and Drew. "What happened to you two?"

"Nothing," May said, a little too quickly. Anna's eyebrows shot up her forehead as she took in both of their flushed appearances.

"Hey, Kriggs, why don't you show Drew the eggs," Anna suggested slyly. "I showed May them other day, but I think Drew would be interested, too."

"Sure," Kriggs shrugged, leading Drew into the dark room.

Anna grinned. "Spill."

"Nothing happened," May said, feeling her blush deepen. "We were just messing around."

"Uh huh." Anna didn't sound too convinced.

"Really!" May insisted.

Anna just sighed. "Okay, May. But sooner or later, you and Drew will have to leave the land of denial."

May scoffed. "Oh, please. Talk to me when you admit you like Kriggs."

"Of course I like Kriggs," Anna said nonchalantly. "He's the best research partner I've ever had. That doesn't mean I want to sleep with him."

May just stuck her tongue out. Anna laughed. "Oh, real mature, May."

"No one's ever accused May of being mature," Drew said, following Kriggs out of the dark room. One of the monitors on the wall began to beep loudly, and Kriggs and Anna both exchanged looks.

"Okay, you guys need to go now," Anna said, moving to the computer bank. Her fingers raced across the keyboard, lines of data streaming across the screens.

"It's nothing major," Kriggs said reassuringly. "We just need to concentrate."

"Lottie, go with them," Anna said, and both May and Drew jumped. They'd forgotten that Lottie had been in the corner the entire time. She grinned at them both, her odd violet eyes gleaming. May wondered how much Lottie had seen before.

"See you later," Drew said.

"Good luck," May added, following her rival out of the lab. When they were alone, she said, "I wonder what that was about."

"Who knows?" Drew shrugged. He looked at May suddenly, annoyance creasing his face. "By the way, thanks for nothing."

"Huh?"

"You knew about those eggs and didn't tell me?"

"I didn't think Anna wanted me to tell anyone," May explained. "And I'd really love to not piss her off, considering the size of that scalpel." Lottie nodded in agreement, earning her an approving glace from May.

"Yeah, I get it," Drew conceded.

"Hey."

"What?"

"Are you up for a little bit of cloud diving, or are you still too scared."

"I think it's stupid and dangerous," Drew replied. "But I was never scared."

May and Lottie exchanged a smirk. "Prove it," May challenged.

"May, I'm not—"

"Drew, it's okay if you're afraid," May interrupted. "It won't change my opinion of you. Much."

Drew glowered. "I'm _not_ scared."

May tossed her head mockingly. "Liar." Drew gritted his teeth and went to lean on the railing. May nodded at Lottie, who changed into her pokémon form and disappeared. Over by the railing, Drew didn't notice May creep up behind him. He didn't even know what hit him. One second he was leaning over the rail, the next he was falling over the edge. His scream cut off abruptly as Lottie flew under him, catching him right above the waterline.

Above, May laughed, urging Pidgeot down to Lottie and Drew's level.

"What are you doing?" Drew yelled.

"Forcing you to have fun," May called, already flying away on Pidgeot. Lottie followed suit, with Drew clinging desperately to her neck. They raced higher and higher, _The Autumn Light_ shrinking below them until it disappeared completely. When they leveled out, Drew stared uneasily below him, but all he could see was the cloud bank reflecting the moonlight.

"Now, Lottie listens to me," May explained. Lottie nodded, Drew bouncing up and down every time she moved her neck. "So you either listen to me now, or I'll tell Lottie to keep you up here all night. And trust me, she knows some pretty terrifying aerobatics," May said.

Drew peered at her suspiciously. "Look, if it's revenge you want . . ."

May rolled her eyes. "I don't want revenge. I just want you to have a little fun.

"Coming from the girl who can't stand night clubs," Drew mocked, some of his old self surfacing.

"Whatever. I'm not the one who's too afraid to take a risk now and then," May said. And, just for effect, she jumped.

Drew didn't jump with her, of course. By the time May and Pidgeot made it back to where he and Lottie were hovering, his face was set into a hard mask, his entire body rigid.

"Wow, you really don't like cloud diving," May said softly.

Drew said something, but May couldn't hear him.

"What?" She asked, raising her voice to be heard above the wind. But Drew just shook his head. "Can we go back down now?" he asked, gripping Lottie tightly as a particularly strong gale blew past. May started to reply, but another blast of wind sent Pidgeot slamming into Lottie. Both trainers lost their grip on the pokémon and fell.

The scream was ripped from her throat before she could do anything. It was a lot more terrifying to fall then jump, May reflected as she plummeted through the clouds. _Maybe Drew was right_, she thought. _This could kill me_.

Something streaked by her, a blur of green and black, and May instinctively reached out a hand. She caught Drew by the arm and he pulled her close, his arms wrapped around her as they continued to fall.

May tried to say something, to reassure him that Lottie and Pidgeot were probably racing after them at that moment, but the words caught in her throat. There was nothing to say and no time to say it, and then they were both yanked upward, their descent halted instantly.

It wasn't until May opened her eyes that she realized they had been shut in the first place. They were floating perhaps a hundred feet above the water. In the distance, _The Autumn Light_ glowed softly above a black ocean.

"How . . ." May tried to ask, but her voice didn't seem to want to cooperate. Drew answered anyway.

"Psychic. It's a move Latias knows." And, sure enough, there was Lottie, hovering worriedly nearby. Pidgeot screeched as it flapped its majestic wings, its sharp, beady eyes full of concern.

Drew's voice had been right in her ear, and May realized they still had their arms wrapped around each other. May started to let go, but Drew tightened his grip.

"Just . . . don't. Not yet. Please?" She could feel him shaking, and realized she was as well.

"Okay."


	12. Storm Warning

**Even in the middle of a disaster, May and Drew find time to bond. Of course, it helps if you're belted into a bed together . . . wink wink. Hehe, here's Chapter 12. Thanks!**

The next morning at breakfast, May immediately noticed something was up. Kriggs and Anna both had dark circles under their eyes, and May wondered if they'd slept in the lab. Kriggs was fidgeting nervously, his eyes glued to the glowing screen of a tablet. Anna kept leaning over and checking the display, and every now and then they'd both exchange a dark glance.

No one else seemed to notice. Dawn was giggling as Paul whispered something in her ear, while Drew picked at his food, lost in thought. Solidad and Marina were both wearing sweatshirts with the hoods drawn up and dark sunglasses, which, considering it was a hot summer day, confused May. Then, of course, she realized what was wrong with them.

"You're hung over," she said accusingly. Solidad threw at bagel at her and groaned, laying her head down on the table.

"So what if we are?" Marina asked. "Boys suck, and alcohol makes everything better."

Dawn smiled at Paul and said, "Not all boys suck." That got her nailed between the eyes with an English muffin.

Anna looked up from the screen for a minute to chuckle. "Marina, don't take your anger out on Dawn. Remember, if we fight amongst ourselves—"

"The terrorist win, yeah, yeah," Marina grumbled, snagging a piece of bacon from the serving dish.

"Oh, so now we're terrorists?" Paul asked indignantly.

"Absolutely," Marina and Solidad said in unison.

"Here," May said, pushing the water pitcher towards them. "Water helps a lot."

Drew snorted. "How would you know, May?"

May blushed slightly. "None of your business."

"Please," Drew scoffed. "If you've ever been drunk, I'll take Harley to the ball."

"What ball?" Dawn asked, perking up.

"There's a stupid ball at the end of the cruise, to celebrate how much we've all 'learned' and all the new 'friends' we're supposed to have made," Solidad said bitterly. "And it's couples only."

Marina suddenly grinned wickedly. "And speaking of that . . . hey, Anna."

"What?" Anna replied absentmindedly.

"Remember that blonde guy from Ruby?" 

"Which one?"

"Blonde McDouche," Marina supplied. Everyone except Kriggs and Solidad choked on their breakfast.

"What's his name?" Drew asked through a coughing fit.

Marina, Anna, and Solidad grinned at each other.

"You heard me," Marina said, smirking. "He was a total troll."

"Disgusting excuse for a human being," Solidad commented, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"Anyway," Marina continued, "Soli and I heard him telling all his buddies that you're his date."

"And how does he figure that?" Anna asked, sounding bored.

Marina leaned over and whispered something in Anna's ear. Her face immediately contorted into such a mask of revulsion that Kriggs looked up in alarm.

"Let's not kill anyone before ten in the morning, okay?" Kriggs said hastily, pulling Anna back into her seat.

"You have any more of that whiskey left?" Anna asked, looking at Marina bleakly. Marina and Solidad both laughed while Kriggs looked scandalized.

"Oh, great. You're going to be drunk for the rest of the cruise and then I'll have to do all the work on my own."

Anna slapped him upside the head. "I could be completely smashed and still finish this project, dolt."

"Yeah, right," Kriggs retorted. "You never drink. One shot and you'd probably start singing karaoke or something."

Solidad laughed. "Kriggs, Anna could be drugged and she still wouldn't sing karaoke. Now, Marina on the other hand . . ."

"Shut it, pinky, or else I'll tell them about that time in Saffron City when you were so completely wasted that—"

"Okay, no need to get into that," Solidad said quickly.

Lottie appeared, looking panicked, and handed Anna a sheet of paper. Before Anna could say anything, sirens rent the air. Red lights came to life on the wall, flashing frantically as the ship tilted to one side. Plates and glasses slid off the table, shattering on the floor.

"What the hell?" Anna yelled, getting to her feet. The ship tilted back the other way, almost knocking her off her feet. Outside, everything went very dark, and lightning slashed across the sky.

"Where'd that storm come from?" Kriggs shouted, shoving the tablet in his bag. He grabbed the table as the ship rocked back to the right. Anna cursed and muttered something under her breath. "Solidad, take them down to the lab. At the door, ask for emergency November protocol. Kriggs, Lottie, you're with me."

They ran outside, Lottie transforming into a Latias with a burst of violet light.

"Come on, let's go!" Solidad had to shout to be heard over the alarm. Paul and Dawn were holding hands tightly, and the bluenette looked at May with frightened eyes. She tried to say something, but May couldn't hear anything above the sirens.

Drew suddenly was there, grabbing May by the hand. He leaned in close and shouted in her ear, "Make a chain. We'll have to go outside to get to the lab."

May nodded and took Dawn's hand. She knew what Drew was worried about. If the ship tilted while they were out on the deck, someone might go overboard. The group made its way through the chaos, holding on to each other tightly as the ship rocked back and forth.

Out on the deck, it was only a short distance to the stairs that led to the lab hallway, but May was suddenly dizzily aware of just how high above the water they were. Huge waves slammed against the side of the ship, and May watched in terror as a bolt of lightning struck the ocean nearby, sending a current spreading out through the water.

Progress was slow, since they were trying to walk against the flow of terrified passengers, but finally the stairway door was in sight. They would have be fine, too, if Marina hadn't suddenly started struggling to break away.

"Jimmy!" Marina's scream was easily heard above the pandemonium. May turned around, just in time to see Jimmy get knocked backwards against the rail. The ship tilted once more and he was gone. Marina broke away from Solidad and sprinted for the side of the ship.

Solidad tried to go after her, but Paul and Dawn grabbed her, holding her back. Marina disappeared over the railing.

"Get below deck," Paul shouted, shoving Dawn and Solidad through the door. He followed, leaving May and Drew alone. May turned back and forth between the door and where she'd last seen Marina and Jimmy.

"Don't even think about it!" Drew yelled. "They're gone."

May hesitated one last time, then swore loudly. She released Pidgeot and jumped on, spurring the pokémon out into open air. Drew's scream was the last thing she heard before she plunged into the storm.

Rain and wind buffeted them, tossing May and Pidgeot around as if they were weightless. It was a struggle just to remain stationary, and May scanned the dark water desperately, looking for the slightest hint of either trainer.

"Can you get closer to the water?" May asked, and Pidgeot shrieked assent. They dove, May blinking away the stinging splash of salt water.

"There!" she yelled, urging Pidgeot forward. Marina and Jimmy were struggling desperately in the water, Marina's Croconaw fighting against the current and losing. Pidgeot tried to get closer, but the wind pushed them back. Marina and Jimmy looked up and saw them, relief lighting up their faces.

But it was short lived. Every time May tried to get in close to pull them up onto Pidgeot, the wind threw her back. A blast of wind sent Pidgeot shooting backwards, where a wave crashed over them. May coughed and spluttered, while Pidgeot beat its wings desperately, trying to stay airborne.

Something came up from under them, getting Pidgeot aloft again. May looked down to see a soaking wet Drew aboard Flygon. May smiled in relief, and then suddenly, she knew how to save Jimmy and Marina. She got close to Drew and yelled, "Stay next to me!" He nodded, yelling commands into Flygon's ear.

"Beautifly, string shot," May yelled, releasing Beautifly into her arms. She held the fragile pokémon tightly as Beautifly worked; within minutes, a sticky rope of webbing descended far enough down so that Jimmy could grab hold.

May tried to thank Beautifly as she returned her to the pokeball, but her words got lost in the wind. May and Drew both grabbed the rope and started pulling, straining to keep control of their pokémon in the rapidly worsening storm. Down in the water, Marina recalled her Croconaw and clung to Jimmy, both trainers swinging back and forth as the wind howled around them. Finally, May helped Marina onto Pidgeot while Jimmy got on Flygon, and then both pokémon shot off towards the ship.

They collapsed onto the deck, coughing, while the storm continued to rage. Drew and May recalled Flygon and Pidgeot, then dragged the two castaways into the stairwell. They stumbled down to the lab, where the others were waiting anxiously.

Solidad and Dawn, sobbing, tackled May and Marina, while Paul exhaled in relief and clapped Drew on the shoulder.

"Through here," Solidad said, leading them into the lab. Shattered glass was everywhere, bits of metal instruments strewn across the paper covered floor. There were no sirens in the lab, and the silence felt strange, the fury from the storm muted behind the thick steel walls.

"The door is in the back," Solidad said. "Watch the glass."

Solidad led them through a pair of double doors and into a long hallway. To the right was the entrance to the room where the eggs were stored. Straight ahead was another door, which Solidad walked straight up and presented her palm. There was an electronic whirring, and then the door unlocked. They walked into what looked like a storage room, with extra blankets and pillows stacked on wide shelves. May realized that the shelves were actually bunks.

"They both sleep down here sometimes," Solidad explained. "Here, you four get bundled up."

May realized she was shivering, although she couldn't tell if it was because she was soaking wet or still in shock from the storm. Dawn started passing out blankets, pausing whenever the ship tilted. May didn't know how it was possible, but the storm seemed to be getting worse.

"Belt yourselves onto a bed." Solidad started pulling leather straps out from under the bunks.

Dawn crawled up onto one of the upper bunks, followed by Paul. Solidad looked like she was going to say something, but when Jimmy and Marina did the same thing, she just shook her head and climbed onto one of the middle bunks.

May slid onto a bottom bunk, and was promptly crushed against the wall when Drew moved in after her.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. Drew looked at her flatly.

"We need to have a talk," he replied, buckling a strap over both of them.

May narrowed her eyes. "If you're looking for me to apologize, I won't. I wasn't going to just let them drown."

Drew sighed. "I don't want you to apologize. What you did was exceedingly brave."

May smiled slightly, but Drew wasn't done. "It was also exceedingly stupid. You could have died just as easily as not."

"I'd rather die trying to save my friends than let them die while I saved myself," May said coldly.

Drew glared at her. "Do you really think I would have just let them die? I was trying to get you below deck before I went after them myself."

May's face softened a bit. "Oh."

"Hmph."

May smiled. "Next time, just tell me that."

"It wouldn't have stopped you."

"No, but it's nice to know."

Drew groaned and slapped a hand over his eyes. "You have a death wish."

May started to reply, but her body was wracked by a bout of tremors. Drew wrapped his arms around her, drawing her under the blanket, while the ship continued to rock and jolt beneath them. May could hear the others talking quietly, and she wondered where Anna and Kriggs were.

"They'll be okay," Drew murmured, as if he knew what she was thinking. May nodded, but she was still worried. Anna was a brilliant flyer, but there was something completely unnatural about the storm. There had been plenty of lightning, sure, but May had yet to hear one clap of thunder. An hour passed, then two, and the ship was still being tossed in the storm. May started to nod off in Drew's arms, and he stroked her hair soothingly as she fell asleep.

Then, all at once, the rocking stopped, and the ship was still. May sat up, awake, as Dawn asked, "Is it over?"

"Wait for Anna," Solidad said. "Stay belted in."

Secretly, May didn't have a problem with that. She snuggled back down next to Drew, who fought off a goofy grin. In all honestly, he had the urge to go and thank whoever had caused the storm.

A little while later, a door banged open in the lab, and they heard the sound of someone crunching over the carpet of broken glass. May reached and undid the belt buckle, and she and Drew clambered off the bunk.

"Hey, we should check on the eggs," she whispered to Drew. Everyone else was still disentangling themselves from the bunks, so they went out into the hallway and into the dark room.

The containers were dark, the glass casing opaque and solid. "Oh, I forgot," May said. "Anna has to remove the glass."

"Yeah, Kriggs said they're the only ones who can," Drew said, sighing. "They're right outside, though, so it's probably not that big a deal."

"I guess," May said, reached out a hand. She wasn't really expecting anything to happen, though, so when the glass slid away, revealing the Cresselia egg, she was shocked.

Drew laughed. "Here, do the other one." May opened the Darkrai capsule, revealing the darker egg. May gently lifted the Cresselia egg into her arms, inspecting it to make sure that there was no damage.

"Hey, Anna," May called, going out into the hallway.

She stopped short at the sight of the intruder standing in the hallway. The man was huge, with greasy black hair and heavy leather clothes. He grinned at her, wicked delight spreading across his face. A jagged scar ran from his chin all the way to his hairline, a puckered red line that made May ill when she looked at it.

"Why, thank you," he said, his voice rough. "You've certainly made my job easier. Now, why don't you give me that egg, hmm?"

**Cliffhanger! I told you the pace was going to pick up, didn't I? Anyway, reviews make the world go round, so take a second and let me know what you think. Thanks!**


	13. Electricity

**So, I listen to this podcast called Welcome to Night Vale. It's pretty freaking awesome, if you ever get a chance to listen to it. Anyway, new episodes come out on the 1****st**** and 15****th**** of each month. This has been the deal for more than two years. So today, as I'm lying in bed today, sick and miserable, I decide to download the latest episode. But what do I find? No. New. Episode. Which just goes to show that when it rains, it pours. That's kind of the theme for this chapter, actually. Anyway, I'll shut up now. Here's chapter 12. Thanks!**

Drew came out into the hallway behind May, the Darkrai egg nestled in his arms. The scarred man grinned, his eyes shifting between May and Drew. Every time he looked at May, his gaze lingered, and May felt her skin crawl.

It took all of two seconds for Drew to size up the situation. "What do you want?" he asked loudly, flicking his hair.

The intruder laughed obnoxiously. "What's it to you, limey?"

Drew's face hardened. "I'm not going to ask again. What do you want?"

"Drew, don't," May murmured. "He wants the eggs."

The man sniggered. "Oh, not me personally. I'm just a go-between, a middle man, if you will." He grinned again, revealing cracked yellowed teeth. May shuddered internally.

"It doesn't matter," she said, trying for diplomacy. "They're not ours to give away."

"You think they belong to that bitch and her little minion?" the man scoffed. "Please. She's just as much a thief as I am. Now, hand them over."

"May, go," Drew said, shoving the Darkrai egg into her arms. May stumbled backwards into the bunk room, where the others were waiting.

"Someone's here," May whispered frantically. "Here, take these," she said, handing off the eggs to Dawn and Solidad. "Find a way out. I have to go help Drew."

Solidad stayed with Dawn, while Jimmy, Paul and Marina followed May back into the hallway. The intruder man licked his lips, his gaze falling on Marina.

"Well, well, lookie what we have here. I guess old Crenshaw gets a little reward for his hard work," he giggled, leering at Marina. Marina didn't even flinch.

"Bring it, old man," she snapped, pulling a pokeball from her pocket. May felt a surge of admiration for Marina Davis.

"Oh! I do like the feisty ones," the man called Crenshaw cackled. Jimmy's face flushed in anger, which Crenshaw noticed immediately.

"Uh oh, this one didn't like that at all. Is she your girl? Maybe I'll let you watch."

"That's enough," Jimmy hissed, squaring his shoulders for a fight.

"You need to leave," May said firmly. "Or we'll make you."

"Big words from a little girl," Crenshaw sneered. "But from where I stand, you're all backed into a corner. I know the room behind you is a dead end. No one's coming to help you, either. That wench with the Latias is dead, and so's her little boy-toy. It's just you and me."

May felt alarm race through her, but she refused to believe that Anna and Kriggs were dead.

"Please. She probably kicked your ass with one hand tied behind her back," Drew scoffed, trying to nudge May behind him. But May was having none of that, and she stood firm.

"Then where is she?" Crenshaw asked quietly, malicious glee tugging at his features. No one had an answer, and May felt uneasy. The man had a point. If Anna was okay, then why wasn't she here?

Crenshaw chuckled. . "I saw her go down, boy. No one survives a direct hit from a thunder attack like that. Now, thunder wave isn't nearly as deadly, but it'll still mess you up bad." May was confused for a second, unsure why he was giving them pointers on a random pokémon move.

Then Drew spotted the Rotom hovering near the ceiling.

"Duck!" he yelled, but only May and Paul moved in time. Jimmy and Marina both went down, their muscles paralyzed from the electric shock.

"Blaziken, flamethrower."

"Nightslash, Drapion."

"Absol, razor wind."

The three remaining trainers spoke at once, and their pokémon appeared in a flash of ruby light. The attacks combined, forming a deadly blast that swept down the hallway. May felt her heart soar; there was no way Crenshaw could withstand that. Unfortunately, he just laughed and pulled his cloak around him. May watched in disbelief as the attacks swept harmlessly over him, not even making him stumble. The leather cloak crackled slightly, and May swore she saw it absorb some of the residual energy from the attacks.

"Electro ball, Rotom," Crenshaw said lazily, straightening up.

The blast of electricity shot directly at May, who froze in panic. She closed her eyes and braced for the impact, but instead of a jarring jolt of electricity, she felt herself being shoved roughly to the side. May opened her eyes as she fell, just in time to see Drew take the full brunt of the attack.

"Drew!" May screamed, scrambling to her feet. He flew backwards and crashed into a wall, his head striking the metal with a sickening crack. He crumpled to the ground near Marina and Jimmy, all three trainers helpless as Crenshaw prepared for his next attack. Paul released Electivire and Gastrodon, and all three of his pokémon leapt forward to engage Rotom.

For a second, May thought that they might actually have a shot. But even though it was three on one, Paul's pokémon were just barely keeping Rotom at bay. It was only a matter of time before Crenshaw broke through their defenses.

"Blaziken, get the others back into the bunk room," May yelled. Her conversation with Drew on the bunk suddenly came back to her.

_I'd rather die trying to save my friends than let them die while I saved myself._

"Well, I guess it's time to put my money where my mouth is," May muttered, pulling a pokeball off her belt. She was about to release her Wartortle when Paul's hand came up, stopping her.

"We both don't need to stay," Paul said, eyeing the battle wearily.

"No, but the more people who stay, the longer the others have to escape," May argued, trying to pull her pokeball free. Paul just shook his head grimly.

"Just . . . make her leave, okay?"

_Who . . ? Oh. Dawn._

May realized what Paul was going to do. "Oh, no. You can't hold him off alone. He'll kill you."

"Probably," Paul shrugged. "But if he gets ahold of those eggs . . ."

"Paul," May whispered. Up until this point, she hadn't understood what Dawn saw in him. In all honesty, she had never really liked him. She tolerated Paul for Dawn's sake, but if it had been her choice, May would have avoided him entirely. But as she stood there, realizing that Paul was willing to sacrifice himself to give them time to escape, May saw him through Dawn's eyes for the first time.

"Dammit," she cried, hugging him tightly. She blinked back tears as she whispered, "She's going to kill me, you know."

Paul chuckled. "I know."

Behind them, Gastrodon cried as it fell, its heavy body thudding to the floor with a terrifying finality.

"Now go!" Paul yelled, shoving May back towards the door. May took one last look before she left him behind, wondering if she'd ever be able to live with herself for this.

Inside the bunk room, panic filled the air. Drew was still lying unconscious on the floor, while Jimmy and Marina were stumbling around with stiff, jerky steps. Dawn was clutching both eggs now, her face pale, while Blaziken was battering against a ventilation grate under Solidad's command. May felt a rush of gratitude for Solidad's ability to keep a cool head.

"May, what's happening? Where's Paul?" Dawn asked, panicked.

"He's buying us time," May said shortly. Blaziken finally succeeded in ripping off the grate, and the metal clattered noisily to the floor. "Dawn, go through first. Whatever happens, don't let him get those eggs."

"I'm not leaving Paul!" Dawn cried, turning towards the door. May grabbed her roughly and shoved her towards Blaziken, who picked her up easily and tossed her into the ventilation shaft. Dawn cursed, trying to scramble back down, but May wasn't having any of that.

"Go!" May yelled at Blaziken. The pokémon helped Solidad up next, blocking Dawn in, then Marina and Jimmy. Finally, it was just May and an unconscious Drew. May leaned down to try and help him up, but when she pulled her hands back, they came away sticky with blood. Out in the hallway, May could hear the battle raging as fiercely as the storm had.

"Drew, I really need you to wake up, okay?"

May suddenly noticed how pale his face was. She wondered how much blood he had already lost. Desperately, May tore a strip of fabric off the end of her shirt and pressed it to the wound on his head. It helped to staunch the blood flow a little, but Drew remained motionless. Out in the hallway, Drapion roared, and May heard a resounding crash as it went down. She was out of time.

"Okay, Blaziken, me first, then Drew," May said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She would just have to drag him along behind her. Blaziken boosted May easily into the shaft, then turned and lifted Drew's prone form in behind her.

"Good, now weld the grate back on," May said. Blaziken obeyed, and when the ventilation shaft was resealed, May returned Blaziken to its pokeball.

The walls pressed in around her, and May fought down growing panic as her claustrophobia began to kick in. She'd never been a fan of small, tight spaces, even when she wasn't being chased by a murderous lunatic. Steeling herself, May started crawling through the duct, dragging Drew along with her. The sounds of Paul's battle with Crenshaw began to fade away, until the only noises were May's friends in front of her. Marina and Jimmy had it the worst since their muscles still weren't working properly, but they kept moving through the pain.

Drew's eyelids started to flutter, and he moaned. "May?" he asked, his voice slurred.

"Drew, Drew, please, wake up!" May said urgently, stopping to peer anxiously at her rival's face. Dazed green eyes found hers, and May had the urge to kiss him.

"What happened?" Drew asked groggily, trying to sit up.

May swallowed hard. "Paul stayed behind, to hold him off. We're in the ventilation ducts."

"The eggs?" Drew's face still had an unhealthy pallor, but his voice was getting steadily stronger.

"Dawn has them. Everyone's ahead of us."

"Then we should keep moving."

May nodded, and they started crawling again. May prayed that the ducts let out somewhere safe, and they didn't meet another dead end. Terror swept over her as she imagined being stuck in the ventilation shaft while Crenshaw pulled them out one by one.

Suddenly, May almost crashed right into Jimmy.

"What did the line stop?" Drew asked, pressing a hand to his head. May thought he still looked woozy, but there wasn't much she could do to help him.

"Dawn, can you see anything?" May called, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Jimmy turned back to look at May. "She says there's another grate, one that leads into the kitchens."

"Okay, tell Dawn to have Buneary freeze the metal," May replied. "Then break the bars."

Jimmy nodded and passed the message along.

"Smart," Drew murmured. May smiled wanly but didn't respond. They waited in silence, and every pop and groan of the ducts made May think that Crenshaw was right behind them. Finally, she heard Dawn's quiet cheer, and the line started moving again.

"Okay, we're good," Jimmy said.

It took a while to get everyone out, but finally they were all gathered around a table, minus one.

"I can't believe he stayed behind," Dawn whispered, looking stricken.

"Let's keep moving," Jimmy suggested. "Once he's done with Paul, that guy will follow the ducts right here."

Dawn whimpered, her eyes filling with tears.

"I'm sure Paul will be fine, Dawn," Solidad said comfortingly. "He can take care of himself." She shot a glare at Jimmy, who just seemed to realize that Dawn and Paul were together.

"Jimmy's right, though. We need to go," Drew said. They crept out into the hallway, peering cautiously in both directions before heading towards the upper decks.

"I have to find my sister," Solidad said, clutching the Cresselia egg to her chest.

May and Drew exchanged uncertain looks, which Solidad immediately noticed.

"What's wrong?" she asked frantically.

"Anna's probably fine," May said, but she sounded unsure.

"What did he say?" Solidad asked, her face tight. May and Drew looked at each other helplessly. "Oh, God, he killed her. No, no, no."

Solidad's entire composure crumbled. She slid down the wall until she was huddled on the floor. She kept muttering to herself as she rocked back and forth, and May caught the word "promise", repeated over and over again.

"Soli, Anna can take care of herself, too," May said, forcing herself to be firm. "I'll believe she's dead when I see a body."

"Yeah, and Kriggs is tougher than he looks, too," Jimmy added.

Solidad whimpered slightly but didn't move. Jimmy and Marina had to haul her to her feet, and only then did Solidad start moving. Her breakdown had shaken May more than anything else that had happened so far. Solidad had always been the cool one, the calm one. To see her crack so completely made May want to curl up and give in.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, pausing every now and then to listen for sounds of pursuit. Finally, they made it outside. For a second, no one could process what they saw. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and any trace of a storm had completely disappeared. If it hadn't been for the burning bits of rubble scattered everywhere, May would have thought everything was completely normal.

"Solidad!" Someone yelled behind them, and May turned to see Lance sprinting across the deck.

"Solidad, are you okay? What happened?" Lance asked, taking in the bloody, bedraggled group. His black shirt was torn and singed, and his red hair was covered with what looked like ash.

"Where's my sister?" Solidad demanded, handing off her egg to Jimmy. She grabbed Lance by the shirt and shook him hard. "Where's Anna?"

Lance wouldn't meet her eye. "Soli, I . . ."

"_Where is she?_" Solidad hissed furiously. Lance swallowed hard.

"It happened so fast, Soli. We were being attacked from all sides, and then Lottie got hit and . . . There was nothing anyone could do. Lottie went down, and the waves were too big for anyone to get close enough for a rescue."

Solidad made a small, broken noise as she let go of Lance's shirt. Marina, tears streaming down her face, hugged her tightly, and the two girls clung to each other and sobbed. May felt herself begin to shake, and for a moment, nausea almost overwhelmed her. May took a deep breath and forced herself to focus.

"Lance, you need to send someone down to Anna's lab," May said. "Paul's in trouble. Someone broke in and tried to steal . . ." May's voice trailed off, but Lance nodded.

"I know about the project," he replied, and then started speaking swiftly into a walkie-talkie.

"Paul's dead, then," Dawn whispered, sinking to the floor. "If that man killed Anna and Kriggs, Paul never stood a chance."

"A man?" Lance asked, putting the walkie-talkie away. "It was a woman, with a Rayquaza. That's what caused the storm."

Everyone paused to take in this information. May had been so certain that Crenshaw had been behind the storm. Things had died down just as he appeared in the lab, so, naturally, May had assumed he was responsible.

"Then who's Crenshaw?" Drew asked.

"He was her partner," May said quietly. "Like Anna and Kriggs are . . ." The word "were" flashed through her mind, but May refused to say it aloud. "They were working together to try and get the eggs."

"You said a Rayquaza?" Jimmy asked.

Lance nodded solemnly. "It was weird, though. The color was all wrong, and the eyes seemed . . . different."

"What do you mean?" May asked.

Lance shrugged. "I can't explain it. But there was something definitely wrong with that pokémon."

No one said anything for a while. Lance kept glancing at the glowing screen on his wrist, checking for updates from his team. Solidad and Marina were still crying quietly into each other's shoulders, while Dawn rocked back and forth on the ground, her grief overtaking her completely.

May felt utterly drained; no matter how much she wanted to cry, there didn't seem to be any tears. She thought of Paul staying behind, knowing he was facing a battle he couldn't win. May had always thought of him as a bit selfish, sullen and ill-tempered. But now, she couldn't think of him as anything less than a hero.

"May," Drew whispered. May didn't respond. She just stepped into his arms and buried her face in his chest, trying to block out the memories that kept leaping out at her. He wrapped his arms around her, and they stood there for a long time, waiting.

"Hey, Lance, you there?" A voice crackled over the walkie-talkie.

"Talk to me, Duke," Lance said.

"There's nothing in the lab but rubble. It looks like a bomb went off in here."

Dawn sobbed and started rocking harder.

"We did pull a guy out from under a collapsed wall section, though. He's pretty banged up. They're taking him up to the infirmary now."

"He's alive?" Lance asked quickly.

"Yep."

May's legs collapsed from relief. Drew barely managed to catch her, but May was beyond caring. She staggered over to Dawn and hugged her best friend, feeling Dawn shaking against her. Jimmy looked relieved, and even Drew cracked a smile. Only Marina and Solidad seemed unaffected by the news. They were quiet now, sitting in shock, and every now and then they'd look up, as if expecting Lottie to come swooping out of the sky.

Lance finished talking to Duke and holstered the walkie-talkie. "I'll take Dawn up to the infirmary," he said. "I've got to go check on some of my people anyway." Lance paused, and then added, "The rest of your should probably come up too. Just to get checked out."

"We'll be up in a little bit," May said. Lance shrugged and turned towards Dawn, who smiled gratefully and allowed him to help her to her feet. As May watched them go, the tears finally came. She hunched over, her hair falling in front of her face, as sobs wracked her body. As May wept silently, she felt Drew's arms around her. She leaned into him, thankful that she wasn't alone in this.

"Hey! We've got something!" One of Lance's men was yelling, leaning over the railing and pointing. Before May knew it, she was on her feet and sprinting for the edge of the deck, the others right behind her.

At first, it just looked like a clump of floating debris. But as May's eyes focused, she made out the two figures slumped over a plank of wood.

"It's them," May whispered, terror gripping her soul. She didn't want to watch as the bodies were pulled aboard. She didn't know if she _could_.

A couple of guys flew down on Salamences and lugged Anna and Kriggs' still forms onto the pokémon. They flew them onto the deck, where a man began shouting for someone to get him a medic.

Solidad wailed and dropped to the ground next to her sister, shaking her roughly. May winced at the sight of Anna's face. Her skin was so pale, her lips tinged blue.

"There's another one," someone yelled, and a minute later a little girl's body joined the pair already on deck. Lottie was in her human form, her blonde hair plastered to her face and her eyes closed peacefully, as if she was sleeping. While everyone crowded around Anna and Kriggs, May knelt down beside Lottie.

It didn't seem fair that just because Lottie was a pokémon, no one was trying to help her. May hadn't known Anna that long, but she was sure the older girl would be furious if she was awake.

Slowly, May started doing chest compressions and CPR, wondering if it even worked like this for a pokémon. Still, she didn't stop. Lottie didn't have a pulse, but May kept going. She paused every now and then, listening for a heartbeat, but her ears met only silence.

"May, I don't think . . ." Drew said hesitantly, but May ignored him. She didn't know how long she stayed there, trying to bring a dead girl back to life, but finally, she heard Lottie's heart flop.

Encouraged, May doubled her efforts. Lottie's heart beat again, and again, and then May finally had a rhythm. Lottie suddenly sat straight up, her eyes glowing violet as she choked. She coughed up water, her thin body shuddering under the strain.

"Anna's awake," Marina cried, and May turned to see Anna sitting up, coughing and choking on sea water. For a moment, May was stuck by how similar Anna and Lottie looked, their bodies hunched in the exact same position. Then, Anna turned and looked at Kriggs, who was still lying motionless beside her.

"John," Anna croaked, and it took May a second to realize that she was talking about Kriggs.

"John," Anna said again, and then she kissed him.

May did a double take, but then she realized what Anna was doing. CPR and chest compressions, and May could only hope that Kriggs was as lucky as the two girls.

"Come on, John, stay with me," Anna whispered. Still, there was no response, and Anna started to panic. "Nononononononono."

Suddenly, May knew what had to happen. She looked Lottie straight in the eyes, sapphire to amethyst.

"Do you know how to use thunderbolt?" May asked. Lottie nodded, and then her eyes widened with understanding. She closed her eyes as a bolt of pure electricity shot out from her, arcing straight into Kriggs chest. Everyone froze, staring at Kriggs anxiously. Nothing happened, and Anna pressed her hands to her mouth, a low moan escaping her lips.

Then Kriggs coughed. Once, twice, and then he was up and convulsing, coughing up more water than either Anna or Lottie had. May collapsed backwards, exhaling painfully in relief. Anna rocked back on her heels, her hands shaking.

Solidad threw her arms around her sister, and was quickly followed by Marina. Jimmy slapped Kriggs on the back, while Drew let out a deep, shuddering breath.

The medic finally appeared, his uniform dirty and his hair singed in several places. May wondered what had been going on above deck while they had been in the bunkroom.

"All of you, to the infirmary. Now." The man's tone didn't leave any room for discussion, although no one would have considered arguing. Anna and Kriggs protested slightly as the medic ordered them onto stretches, but they were both silenced by identical glares from Solidad and Marina.

Drew tried to take a step forward and stumbled slightly. The medic looked at him sharply, saw the wound on his head, and ordered a stretcher for him as well. May looked at Drew, daring him to complain. Drew grinned sheepishly, wincing slightly as the medic probed the wound.

Together, the group was shuttled through the halls. May's legs shook with every step, and the prospect of collapsing onto a bed had never seemed more appealing. She had to fight down hysterical laughter when she realized that it wasn't even noon yet.

**Obviously, I'm not going to kill off major characters in the middle of a story. Plus, I'm pretty sure that if I killed Paul off, I'd have a hoard of angry ikarishippers tracking me down to murder me. Anyway, if you like the story, please leave me a review. Any comments on writing or character development are very much welcomed, especially with Anna and Kriggs. It's always more difficult developing original characters because I have to create every aspect of their personality. At least with May and Drew, I have something to go on. Thanks!**


	14. Irony

**I think that irony is one of the universe's cruelest jokes. Irony's a bitter knife, one that stings as well as cuts, and it drives deep right where it hurts. May's about to find that out the hard way.**

As the day moved towards twilight, the infirmary finally began to quiet down. May had watched as most of the patients had either been treated and discharged or moved to hospitals on the mainland. Now, only her friends remained, their sleeping forms sprawled out on beds or across chairs.

In a bed by the window, Dawn and Paul were fast asleep, Dawn's head nestled in the crook of Paul's unbroken arm. May winced every time she looked at older boy. In addition to several hairline fractures on his left arm, Paul had three broken ribs and a nasty laceration across the top of his face. He was also covered in countless burns and bruises which the medic had deemed painful, but thankfully superficial.

May couldn't help but blame herself. She knew that she'd be eternally grateful that Paul had gotten off so easily. She'd seen Kriggs and Anna nearly dead, and Paul could have just as easily gone the same. And if he had, it would have been her fault.

She crept quietly out of the infirmary and began to make her way towards her room. Despite her clean bill of health, May felt disgusting. She was covered in bits of ash and soot from the battle in the lab, not to mention from all the debris above deck. She was sweaty and bruised and generally felt like a homeless person. A shower was the only thing on her mind.

Just as she reached her room, May paused, the sounds of an argument reaching her from around the corner.

"Anna, this has gone far enough." Solidad's voice was low but intense, fear and desperation hovering just under the surface.

"We've had this conversation before, Solidad. You're not going to change my mind," Anna replied, sounding exhausted.

"Anna, please, listen to me. You're going to get yourself killed."

"Soli, I'll be fine—"

"You weren't today!" Solidad interrupted. "You were dead, Anna. Your lips were blue, your heart wasn't beating. And you can pretend all you want, but it doesn't change the facts."

There was a small pause. "I was distracted up there today, alright? That's the only reason things went as far as they did."

"Distracted by what?" Another pause. "Kriggs?" Solidad sounded incredulous. "Why?"

"It doesn't matter," Anna said brusquely. "He's leaving in the morning."

"What?" Solidad yelped, and May jerked back in surprise.

"I dissolved the partnership early," Anna said nonchalantly, but May heard her struggling to keep her voice steady.

"That's ridiculous," Solidad said scornfully. "_You're_ being ridiculous. Why do you keep doing this? First Danny, now Kriggs—"

"Don't talk about Danny!" Anna yelled, her voice echoing through the night. "You don't know anything about me and Danny. I am sick and tired of you bringing him up every time I make a decision you don't like."

Solidad laughed bitterly. "It has nothing to do with the fact I don't like your decisions. They're a lot of things you do that I don't like, Anna. What absolutely kills me is having to watch you push everyone who cares about you out of your life."

"That's enough," Anna hissed, her voice filled with a kind of fury that she could never capture by shouting. "I don't get to live like you, Solidad. Things aren't so easy for me."

"But they can be," Solidad pleaded. "You don't have to be a part of this. Walk away, Anna, please. I'm begging you. Please don't make me bury you."

Now it was Anna's turn to laugh bitterly. "Oh, please. Do you know how many friends I've buried? Do you know how many faces I see every night when I'm trying to fall asleep? You don't know the first thing about burying someone you love."

Solidad was quiet for a long moment. "If you keep going on like this, Anna, I will know." May listened as Solidad walked away, her footsteps fading into the distance. Cautiously, May peered around the corner. Anna was standing hunched over the railing, her shoulders trembling slightly as she fought to pull herself back together.

May waited for Anna to straighten up before she walked over.

"How much of that did you hear?" Anna asked, exhaustion permeating her voice again.

"Enough," May said quietly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"Sure you did," Anna said, shrugging. May started to object, but Anna waved her down. "It's fine, anyone else would have done the same thing. Including me."

"The medic noticed you were missing," May said. "He's not happy."

Anna scoffed. "Oh, please. I'm fine." May must have looked unconvinced, however, because Anna sighed. "Alright, I'm coming. But I'm not staying overnight."

"Okay," May said, not wanting to push the envelope.

They walked in silence for a little bit before Anna asked, "Oh, how's Paul?"

"Um, better. They gave him some pain medication. But he definitely took a beating."

May winced, a fresh wave of guilt crashing over her. Anna noticed and said, "Don't do that to yourself. It wasn't your fault."

"I shouldn't have left him," May said softly. "How could I do that? I should have stayed, made him go instead."

"Stop it. Right now. It was a bad situation, and you both did the right thing."

"How would you know?" May asked, suddenly angry. She stopped in the middle of the corridor and looked straight at Anna. "You weren't there! You were too busy getting yourself shot down by some crazy woman on a freaking Rayquaza!"

"May—"

"No! Don't 'May', me! I want an explanations, right now, for what happened today. You owe me that at least."

Anna looked miserable. "I owe you a lot more, actually. You just don't realize how much."

"What do you mean?" May narrowed her eyes, trying to keep her confusion from showing.

"When they pulled the three of us out of the water, you were the only one who bothered to try and help Lottie. Everyone else crowded me and Kriggs, but you helped her."

"So?"

"If you hadn't, I'd be dead right now."

Now May was completely confused. "What? That makes absolutely no sense."

"It would if you knew how close Lottie and I are."

"I don't understand anything you're saying."

Anna growled in frustration. "That's because you're being stubborn. You're pissed at me, I get that, but if you want answers, stop acting like a three year old and listen."

"Oh, so now I'm a three year old?" May shouted angrily. She didn't know where all of this rage was coming from, but she liked it. It surrounded her, enveloped her, and shielded her from the fear that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in her mind.

"You're acting like one! Do you honestly think I would've sent any of you into the bunkroom if I had known Zaphara was working with Crenshaw? If I had known he was here?" 

"Zaphara?" 

Anna sighed. "The woman on the Rayquaza."

"You know her?" 

"Of course. I know both of them, but I never thought they'd be working together."

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter now," Anna replied, sliding down the wall.

May sat down stiffly, her arms folded over her chest. "How does this relate to you and Lottie?"

"Zaphara's been after her for a long time. Obviously, Lottie's not a normal Latias," Anna said, tugging at a strand of hair.

"Because she's purple?" May asked. Anna glared at her.

"Don't be daft, Maple. The coloring is random, caused by a mutation. It's what caused the mutation that got Zephara after us in the first place."

"Wait, I thought she was just after Lottie," May said. Anna groaned.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. It can't be just one of us. We're in this together, me and Lottie. If she dies, I die. If I die—"

"She dies," May finished. She realized what Anna had been trying to tell her. "Earlier, Lance said . . . You didn't get hit today. Lottie did."

Anna nodded. "Which is why I owe you my life. Solidad could have done CPR on me until she was blue in the face, and it wouldn't have done any good. Lottie was the one with the injury. I just suffer the side effects."

"What about Kriggs?" May asked.

"He got hit by the aftershock, but he's not involved, not really. He just had the bad luck of being my research partner."

"If he's not really involved, then why send him away?" May asked.

"Because I don't want him to get killed!"

"You said you were distracted by him today. Why?"

Anna was silent, her eyes clenched shut in pain. Realization dawned on May with the force of an avalanche.

"You're in love with him."

Anna froze, her face draining of all color. "No," she whispered.

"You are!" May said triumphantly. "Oh my God, you are such a hypocrite. You're always telling the rest of us to live and to not be afraid and that life is really worth it, and meanwhile, you're so damn terrified that—"

"No! I'm not afraid! And I'm _not_ in love with him."

"You in denial," May said ruthlessly.

Anna shook her head. "No one else is dying for me," she whispered hoarsely. "No one. And if that means I have to send everyone away, then so be it."

"But why do you have to send people away in the first place?" May asked. "Why are people trying to kill you? It's not just because of those eggs. It's something else."

Anna nodded slowly.

"How long has Zaphara been after you?"

"I don't know," Anna said dully. "As long as I can remember. She—she's our nightmare, mine and Lottie's."

"Why?" And that was the question, really. Whywhywhywhywhywhy?

"Because we're different. We're freaks, abnormalities, and people like Zaphara are always looking to take advantage of that."

They were both quiet for a moment, listening to the sound of the ocean splashing against the side of the ship. May looked over and realized, for the first time, just how old Anna looked. It wasn't something blatant, like wrinkles or crow's feet. It was in her eyes, a kind of exhaustion that came from years of pain and loss and struggle. For a second, May forgot that Anna was only two years older than she was. All she could see was the grief, threatening to spill over. She looked like a woman who'd lived a hundred years of sorrow.

But then, May watched as Anna pulled herself together. The weariness slid away, replaced by a kind of false bravado. A calmness spread over the dark haired girl, and May realized just how adept she was at locking away her emotions. Anna sighed and stood up, helping May to her feet.

""I did mean what I said, about living," Anna said, her voice calm and collected again. "It is worth it. I know more than anyone."

"And yet, you'll still make Kriggs leave in the morning."

"I can't let him die," Anna whispered. "I can't. And I won't. It's better this way."

"What happened to living, not just existing?"

"The guilt you feel, for leaving Paul behind? Imagine if Paul had died. And then, just for a second, imagine that it was your fault, not just for leaving him behind, but for getting him involved in the first place. I can't deal with that, May. I just can't."

May sighed. "I still think there has to be a better way. And will Kriggs leave? Willingly, I mean?"

Anna laughed grimly. "If I have to drag him off the ship by his hair."

They walked the rest of the way to the infirmary in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. At the door, Anna was immediately pounced on by the medic, who began lecturing her loudly about responsibility and taking her injuries seriously. Anna rolled her eyes at May before she got dragged off to the heart monitor.

May wandered over to Drew's bed, perching on the edge while she looked at his still face.

"I know you're awake," she said, pinching him on the elbow. He yelped and his eyes jerked open. He looked at her reproachfully. She had seen his eyes snap shut as she walked over.

"Did you really need to pinch me?" he asked, rubbing his arm.

May just glared at him. "If you don't want to talk, fine, but don't sit there and pretend to be asleep. That's the same as lying."

"Somebody's in a mood," Drew muttered.

"Yeah, well," May said, not even bothering to finish her thought. She flopped down next to him, nudging him aside to make room.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Drew asked indignantly. "This is my bed, after all."

May stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh, relax. I have news, if you're interested."

"News about what?" Drew peered at her inquisitively, Quietly, May relayed the argument she'd overhead between Anna and Solidad, as well as her own conversation with Anna. Drew remained silent as she spoke, and when she finally finished, he exhaled softly.

"Well?" May prodded, but Drew just sighed again. "Oh, my God. You agree with her," May hissed, looking around to make sure no one was listening.

"Well, what did you expect, May?" Drew snapped. "And what do you want her to do? Risk getting him killed? She's in love with him, whether or not she'll admit it. I think we can agree on that. Put yourself in her shoes."

May tried to imagine how she'd feel if she ever did anything that caused Drew's death. The guilt would be crushing, especially if she could have done something to prevent it in the first place. May stiffened slightly, feeling as if ice was shooting through her veins. Why was she thinking about Drew? It wasn't like . . . she couldn't . . . oh no.

"I have to go," May mumbled, running for the door. She heard Drew call her name, but she didn't turn around. She ran for her room, barely managing to keep herself together. May locked the door behind her, gasping for breath. This was absolutely not happening. She wasn't in love, and certainly not with . . .

"Oh, God," she moaned, burying her face in her hands.

_I don't . . . we're just . . . rivals. Just rivals. Or friends. Maybe friends. Definitely rivals, maybe friends. But not . . . nothing else. _Dear lord, she was practically incoherent, even in her own mind.

"This cannot happen," May whispered. She heard Anna in the back of her mind, laughing while she asked, "Why not?"

"Just, because!" May yelled, forgetting she was alone.

_Because it would ruin everything. Things just got back to the way they were before. I can't lose him again. _

The whole situation was so ironic it hurt. She wondered if this was the universe's way of punishing her. May understood with a bitter clarity exactly why Anna was sending Kriggs away. This feeling, it was terrifying, all encompassing. And it was absolutely unavoidable. She should have been more understanding with Anna, not so quick to judge.

_Well, I understand now,_ May thought bitterly. Of course, the difference was, Anna knew Kriggs felt the same way. Grimly, May tried to imagine confessing her feelings to Drew. She winced as she imagined the way he'd laugh at her. And then, he would turn and walk away, right out of her life, just like before.

May tried laying down on the bed, but she realized immediately that she'd never fall asleep. Not like this, not with her mind running a mile a minute. In the bathroom, she rummaged through the medicine cabinet before finding a bottle of sleeping pills. She didn't usually self-medicate, but she needed to fall asleep. May was still clinging to the desperate hope that when she woke up, she'd feel differently.

_It's just a result of sleep deprivation_, May lied to herself. _It's been a long, hard day. You're traumatized, probably still in shock_.

May huddled under the covers on her bed, shivering, as she let herself fall asleep to the comforting sound of her own lies.

**So Anna's in denial, May wishes she could be in denial, and generally, everyone's miserable. Life is messy. It really is. It seems depressing, and heartbreaking, and even downright hopeless at times. I think we all have a chapter 14 in our life at one point or another. But the good part about life is that there's always a chapter 15 just around the corner! For now, I can only leave you with some words of wisdom from the beautiful J. K. Rowling herself. "It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default." Oh, and please review! Thanks!**


	15. Incoxitated

**So, I just want to thank everyone's who's left me a review. It means a lot to me, and honestly, some days it's the only thing that puts a smile on my face. And now on to chapter 15. Just to clarify, Incoxitated is the actual name of the chapter. I didn't just fail at spelling. Read on, and you'll see why ;)**

May woke up to see Anna and Solidad perched on the edge of her bed, staring at her. She screamed and jerked backwards, cracking her head against the wall.

"What the—shit—Anna!" May yelled, rubbing her scalp. "What the hell are you doing?"

"We came to see you," Anna slurred, grinning like a crazy person. May noticed that she was swaying back and forth slightly.

Solidad nodded frantically in agreement, and seemed to forget to stop. "We _missed_ you!"

"Oh my g—are you both _drunk_?" May asked incredulously.

Solidad and Anna looked at each other and burst out laughing. Anna fell backwards off the bed, her body colliding solidly with the floor. That just made them laugh harder.

"We might be—" hiccup "—slightly incoxitated," Solidad said, while Anna just howled from the floor.

"Incoxi . . . oh dear lord," May muttered, watching as Solidad rocked back and forth, staring raptly at the ceiling. "Do I even want to know what brought this on?"

Solidad's face darkened suddenly, but Anna just giggled. "Lance _proposed_ to her."

"What?" May yelped, staring at Solidad.

"Rat bastard," Solidad muttered under her breath.

"Wait, I thought you . . . liked him," May said carefully, while Anna just snickered, pulling herself back up onto the bed.

"She does," Anna said. "That's the problem."

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Solidad yelled, her face flushed with anger and alcohol. "He didn't want to commit! That's why I left! But he shows up, _months_ later, and thinks that he can ask me to marry him? What the hell?!"

May bit back a laugh. "Well, he's obviously looking to commit now, so . . ."

"No!" Solidad screeched, causing both May and Anna to cover their ears. "He doesn't get to decide when we commit and when we just screw around. He doesn't get to just stroll in here and . . . and . . ."

"Make you fall in love with him?" May asked glumly, thinking about Drew.

Solidad nodded, tilting slightly to the side. "Ex-actly."

"Luckily for Soli, I always know how to make her feel better," Anna said, pulling a dark glass bottle out of her bag. May eyed it warily.

"Exactly how much have you two had to drink?"

Both girls giggled. "Not enough!"

Solidad waved a finger wildly in the air for a second before managing to point it at Anna. "This isn't all about me, though. Tell her," the finger swung around to jab at May, "why you're so freaking smashed."

Anna glowered at her sister. "Less talky, more drinky." She tried to take a swig of whatever was in the bottle, but nothing came out. She stared sadly at it for a second before holding it out to Solidad and saying, "Empty. Sad."

May doubled over, trying not to crack as her sides split apart from too much suppressed laughter. "Tell me," she gasped, "why you're drunk."

Anna mumbled something into the bottle before turning to rummage through her bag.

Solidad grinned, and May realized just how disheveled she was. Her pink hair was everywhere, there were several dark stains down her shirt, and . . . was that blood or lipstick smeared on her face? May shuddered. Maybe it was best not to know. "Anna got outsmarted. By _Kriggs_."

"Idiot," Anna growled. "Foolish, foolish boy."

May just raised an eyebrow. "What did he do?"

"Kriggs when to Casselton and requested an independent science position for the remainder of the cruise," Anna hissed.

"So she _can't_ make him leave now," Solidad hiccupped. "Apparently, she can't make him do anything."

Anna just kept grumbling to herself as she searched through her bag. "Boys are _stupid_," she muttered. "Ha!" She held another bottle up triumphantly.

"I'll drink to that," Solidad said, grabbing the bottle away from her sister.

"You'll drink to _anything_," Anna laughed.

"Um, question," May said, holding up a finger. "Why are you two _here_? Shouldn't you be talking to Marina instead?"

"Absolutely not!" Solidad hollered, while Anna yanked the bottle back from her. Apparently drunken Solidad had no volume control.

"Marina's a bloody traitor," Anna said, taking a long drink. "She's a turncoat—"

"—a deserter—"

"A no good, two timing hypocrite." Anna emphasized the last word with another drink.

"She and Jimmy are just so-o-o perfect," Solidad spat. "It's disgusting the way he holds her hand and kisses her and laughs at her stupid jokes and . . . and . . . oh, give me the damn bottle." She snatched it away from Anna and started chugging.

"Oka-ay, I think you two have had enough," May said, reaching for the bottle. Solidad pulled away, cradling it in her arms.

"No, you can't take it! They've taken everything else, I won't let you take this too!"

"Solidad, give me the bottle," May said firmly, leaning forward. Solidad shook her head adamantly and scooched further away.

"Don't be a downer, May," Anna slurred, curling up on the bed.

"Yeah, May, be cool." Solidad's head lurched forward slightly.

May seized her chance. She lunged forward and grabbed the bottle, letting her momentum take her off the bed and onto the floor, out of Solidad's reach. Solidad wailed and tried to follow her, but she couldn't keep her balance and face planted onto the bed.

Shaking her head, May went and stashed the bottle underneath the bathroom sink. When she came back out, Solidad was half-hanging off the bed, her eyes full of betrayal as she glared at May.

"You're just like Marina," Solidad said. "Mean, mean, mean, mean, _mean_."

May sighed. "You'll thank me later when you don't die from alcohol poisoning."

"You don't deserve to be our friend," Solidad said, hiccupping angrily. "Your momma's so fat, her patronus is a cake."

"_What_?"

"You heard me." More slurring. "You're dumber than snake mittens."

"Okay . . ."

"You should eat some of your make up; then maybe you'll be pretty on the inside, too."

May was trying very hard not to laugh. "Okay, I think it's time for Solidad to go to sleep."

"Yeah, with Lance," Anna muttered from her corner of the bed.

Solidad just wailed into the covers. "I hate you all."

"Go to sleep, Soli."

"Only because I want to, not because you told me to," Solidad mumbled sleepily.

"Good night." May crept silently toward the door, shaking her head as she fought to keep herself from laughing. Could a person actually die from holding in too much laughter? She closed the door quietly behind her, pausing for a second to listen for sounds of movement. When she was convinced Anna and Solidad had both passed out, she made her way to the dining hall.

May had just reached the wonderful compartment that was full of food when she saw Kriggs making a beeline towards her. She tried to turn and run, but it was too late.

"Where is she?" Kriggs growled, grabbing May by the shoulders.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" May tried weakly, but Kriggs just glared at her, his green eyes angrier than May had ever seen them.

"Don't pull that crap with me. Anna's been avoiding me all day. Where. Is. She?"

"Um, so here's the thing," May said, tugging on her hair nervously. "Even if I told you where she is, Anna's not really in any position to talk right now."

Kriggs' face blanched. "Why? What's wrong?"

"No, no, nothing bad," May reassured him. "It's just, well . . . she and Solidad might have decided to self-medicate slightly. With a large quantity of alcohol."

Kriggs swore loudly, causing several women to glare at him. "Oh, shove off," he said loudly, turning back to glare at May.

"Don't look at me like that!" May protested. "It's not my fault."

"I know it's not _your_ fault. I'm just . . ." Kriggs ran a hand through his hair, sighing. May watched as he deflated, the anger draining away as quickly as it had appeared. "Why does she keep doing this to me?"

"What? Getting drunk?"

Kriggs glared at May. "You know exactly what she does."

May put a hand on her hip. "Cut her some slack, alright?"

"Why?" Kriggs scoffed. "She doesn't cut me any. I swear, she enjoys this. I don't even think she cares that she drives me crazy."

"Anna does care," May said, softening slightly. "She's just . . ."

"Complicated?" Kriggs finished. "You have no idea."

May thought of Drew. "I can imagine," she replied.

"Really?" Kriggs snorted. "You can _imagine_ what it feels like to be hopelessly in love with someone who has let you know, quite blatantly, that they will never love you back?"

May swallowed hard. Now it was Kriggs' turn to soften slightly. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh," May said bitterly. "Can we be done talking about this now? It's still a little early for me."

"It's after four!" Kriggs said.

"I had a bad night," May said dryly. Kriggs smirked.

"I bet you did."

"Shut up." May smacked him on the arm.

"Let's get out of here," Kriggs said suddenly.

"What?" May wasn't sure she had heard him correctly. There was a gleam in Kriggs' eye that she couldn't quite place.

"They're not the only ones who can 'self-medicate'," Kriggs said, raising an eyebrow comically.

"Are you asking me to go _drink_ with you?"

"Abso-freaking-lutely."

May giggled involuntarily. Normally, she would have refused. The idea of getting drunk and drowning out her troubles with alcohol had never appealed to her. In fact, up until this point, she had felt slightly superior to Anna and Solidad, who apparently couldn't deal with their feelings without getting plastered. _She _didn't need to get drunk to work through her emotions. Normally, May would have refused.

Of course, Drew would happen to walk out of the dining hall right then and there. He took one look at May, turned around, and walked away without so much as a wave. Disappointment, pain, anger, and bitterness flared at once, fighting one another to twist their way into May's soul. At that moment, she thought, _screw it. Screw it all._

"What did you have in mind?" she asked. Kriggs grinned and motioned for her to follow.

"You'll see."

Drew's heart was twisting painfully, back and forth, almost like someone was sending it through an old fashioned wringer. He tried to tell himself to take deep breaths, but the pain was sharp and steady, working its way through his chest like a knife.

He'd seen May standing there with Kriggs, standing there with that _look_ in her eyes. That stupid, glittery, happy look, the one that constantly made his chest feel like it was about to burst. Only she wasn't looking at him. She was looking at Kriggs.

_They look good together_, Drew thought miserably.

Kriggs was probably better for May, anyway. He was unencumbered, free. There was no shameful past holding him back, no disgraceful memories to pin him down. As Drew walked swiftly back to his room, he ran through a thousand reasons why he wasn't good for her, why he wasn't good _enough_.

It still didn't change the fact that he was in love with her.

"Dammit," Drew said, slamming his fist into the wall. He punched in the key code with a little more force than necessary and wrenched open the door. Drew flung himself face down on the bed, buried his face in a pillow, his head beginning to throb again. He rolled over onto his back, than back onto his stomach, unable to find a position that felt comfortable. Drew realized that he'd never be able to relax when his mind was in such turmoil, and for once in his life, he wanted to talk to someone.

His first thought was of Solidad. They'd been friends a long time, and he had always been able to count on her to give him good advice. Unfortunately, she and Anna had been M.I.A. all day, and Drew had the feeling that if they didn't want to be found, they wouldn't.

Anna was his second choice, followed by . . . ridiculous as it was, Kriggs. Obviously, Kriggs wasn't an option. Dawn? Absolutely not. Paul? Maybe, if he wasn't currently doped up on enough painkillers to knock out an elephant. He didn't really know Jimmy that well, and Marina kind of creeped him out. Drew groaned and slammed his head back into the pillow. This was sheer stupidity.

He drifted in and out of sleep as the shadows crawled across the walls, finally plunging the room into total darkness. Drew couldn't really summon the energy to get up and turn on the light. It was around nine when he finally forced himself to get up, his muscles protesting from the lack of activity.

The ship was still rather subdued in the wake of yesterday's storm. Gregory Casselton had given a reassuring speech that morning, and most people had been pacified by that. Of course, most people didn't know that the ship had been attacked by a freaking Rayquaza, but hey, ignorance is bliss, right?

Drew looked up in surprise when it began to drizzle. Of course, the one night he needed to walk around and clear his mind, it would rain. Cursing under his breath, Drew ducked into a stairwell, intending to wait the rain out. But he had always been slightly impatient. Instead of just standing there doing nothing, Drew walked down the stairs. He found himself in a residential hallway, nothing but guest rooms. Sighing, he made his way down the hallway, thinking that he was probably going to get lost. That would be the icing on the cake. He'd probably end up in the boiler room and fall into a furnace. No one would ever know what happened to him.

Drew was so lost in his morbid predictions that it took a second for the giggling to register in his mind. He stopped short.

_I know that laugh . . ._

"I know, right?" May's voice was coming from behind one of the doors.

Drew's heart clenched as he heard Kriggs say something in response. They both burst into laughter that threatened to choke him. Unwillingly, Drew felt himself drawn towards the door. He realized that someone must have assigned Kriggs a new room, since the lab was such a disaster.

"God, we're so drunk," Kriggs said. May giggled again.

"You know," May hiccupped, "I feel like I owe them both an apology. Alcohol does make everything better."

"We don't owe them anything," Kriggs growled. He must have said something else, because May dissolved into laughter again. Drew couldn't take it anymore. He turned and fled, hoping he'd be able to make it back to his room before anyone saw him. The whole time he ran, the only thing that he could think was, _I hope she's happy_.

**So, lessons learned? Drunk Solidad has really funny insults. Drew has an inferiority complex, which I will explain later. And May and Kriggs bond over their shared unrequired love (but not for each other, despite what Drew may think). Hehehe, I feel evil. It doesn't seem right, messing with characters' lives like this. But it's oh so fun. Anyway, make my day and leave me a review. Preferably a nice one but, hey, if you hate this, tell me why, and I'll see if I can change your mind. Thanks!**


	16. Jealousy

**Okay, so after this Jimmy, Marina, and Solidad are definitely coming back. I just needed to take a little aside and focus on May and Drew for a second. And don't think that all the drama with the eggs and Kriggs and Anna is over. I'm just getting started. And, if anyone's interested in ikarishipping, I did start an ikarishipping story called "Chaos Theory", just because I love Paul and Dawn (hehe). But anyway, here's, chapter 16. **

Drew gritted his teeth in frustration. He had been training for the better part of five hours, and his appeals were still falling flat. Flygon and Absol were shaking from exhaustion, and Drew couldn't remember the last time any of them had had a break. He sighed, realizing that it was time to give up the ghost.

"Alright guys, good job," he said, recalling both pokémon. "Maybe tomorrow will be better."

Drew lowered himself gingerly onto one of the benches by the wall, staring bleakly up at the ceiling. He had been avoiding everyone all day, drowning out his heartache in contest drills. And it had worked, for a little while. But without the distraction of appeals and combos, the pain returned, a steady reminder of his acute failure.

"You look terrible," Anna commented from behind him. Drew didn't even react. He'd heard her come in a couple minutes ago, but had been waiting for her to make the first move.

"What do you want?" Drew asked, noting the exhaustion in his voice. He pulled himself up and turned to gaze at Anna blearily. "And you don't look that good yourself." She had dark circles under her eyes, and her face had that pasty, post-alcohol pallor.

"Yeah, well, I'm still hungover," Anna muttered. She sat down and smirked at Drew. "And I'm not the only one. Did you hear?"

There was no use playing dumb. "About May and Kriggs?"

Anna snickered. "Neither of them have been able to leave the bathroom all day. It's freaking hysterical. They just keep puking."

"I'm glad you find other people's pain amusing," Drew said dryly. Anna just rolled her eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with being a schadenfreude," she replied. "And besides, May deserves it, the little prat. She cut me and Soli off last night, and then went and got smashed herself."

"Yeah, I heard, okay?" Drew snapped.

Anna just raised an eyebrow. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Drew muttered, glaring at the floor. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask, but I can't promise an answer," Anna joked. Drew just glowered at her. "Alright, alright, fine. Ask away. Sheesh, maybe _you_ need to get drunk."

"Aren't you jealous? I mean, May spent the night in Kriggs' room. They were drunk together. Doesn't it bother you?"

Anna snorted. "No, not really. I think it's hilarious." She paused. "Why? Does it bother you?"

Drew hesitated a second too long. "No."

"Oh, my God. It does!"

Drew shook his head adamantly. "No. Absolutely not."

Anna practically fell off the bench, she was laughing so hard. "That's why you've been hiding all day."

"I have not been _hiding_," Drew snapped. "I've been training."

"Yeah, right," Anna said dismissively.

"We're getting off topic," Drew said. "Doesn't it bother you that May has a thing for Kriggs?"

"First of all, why do you think May has a thing for Kriggs?" Anna asked, looking puzzled.

"Um, well, it could be because she spent the night in his room, _drunk_," Drew said sarcastically.

"Oh, please," Anna scoffed. "Do you know how many nights me and Solidad and Marina used to spend in Jimmy's room drunk?"

Drew raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I want to know."

"Shut up, not like that," Anna said, smacking him on the shoulder. "We've all been friends for ages. And friends get drunk and pass out in each other's rooms sometimes. It doesn't mean we all have feelings for each other."

"I guess that would be kind of awkward, considering Solidad's your sister," Drew mused. Anna slapped him on the shoulder again.

"Yes, _very _awkward. Trust me, May doesn't have a thing for Kriggs."

"How do you know?"

"Because," Anna replied, smirking slightly, "I know why they both got drunk."

"Why?" Drew fidgeted slightly, unsure if he really wanted to know.

"They're both dealing with some . . . unrequited love issues, so to speak," Anna said. She paused to let Drew take this in. "Which, as everyone knows, is an _excellent_ reason to get drunk."

For a second, Drew almost let himself believe it. But old insecurities don't die easily.

"Well, then, obviously she's in love with Kriggs. But she knows it's hopeless because he's in love with you," Drew said stubbornly.

Anna stared at him for a second, her brown eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you freaking _kidding _me? Are you serious? You actually believe that?" Drew didn't say anything; he just sat there stiffly, staring at the floor. Anna sighed and shook her head.

"Explain something to me. Obviously you have feelings for May. What's stopping you from letting her know? And it's not because you think she's in love with Kriggs."

"I just . . . I'm wrong for her, okay?"

Anna laughed derisively. "Do you think we live in some stupid TV show? 'Wrong for her' . . . that's so stupid."

Drew glared at her, his anger swelling. "Oh, and the reason you won't say anything to Kriggs is because you believe you'd work so well together?"

"No, the reason I don't say anything to Kriggs is because I don't want to get him killed. Which you said yourself two nights ago in the infirmary," Anna retorted.

"You heard that?"

"I hear everything, remember?" Anna scoffed. "My reasons are valid, and I damn well don't have to explain myself to anyone, least of all you. We're alike in a lot of ways, Drew, but not in this. What are you so afraid of?"

_A lot of things. Myself. What I was. Who she is. The possibility of hurting her. _

"I'm not like her, Anna," Drew whispered. "I didn't grow up in a cute little house with nice, stable parents and a little brother and a freaking family dog. She doesn't know anything about me, and there's a reason for that."

"You're ashamed?"

Drew laughed bitterly. "You don't know the half of it. Or maybe you do. I don't know. But what I do know is that if May knew the truth, she wouldn't want to come within twenty miles of me."

"You don't know that," Anna said firmly. "And I don't believe that."

"It doesn't matter. She'd be happier with Kriggs."

"Right. Tell her that, would you, and see what happens," Anna said, shaking her head.

Drew was silent for a moment. "Life sucks."

"I know."

"Does it get better?"

"Not that I've noticed."

"Great."

"Want a drink?"

Drew laughed. "Is that your response to everything, to get drunk?"

"Not _everything_," Anna replied, smirking. "Although I should warn you, Solidad's birthday is in a couple of weeks, so be prepared."

"Oh, good lord."

"Come on," Anna said, standing up. "Let's go get lunch. If your past isn't too shameful to keep you from eating with me?"

"I love how you're so understanding and sympathetic," Drew said sarcastically.

Anna snorted. "Drew, no one has _ever _accused me of being sympathetic."

"I've noticed."

"Another question," Drew said, spearing a piece of lettuce with his fork. "If the lab's destroyed, where are you keeping the eggs?"

Anna grimaced. "Let's just say they're safe. For now, anyway. I have to talk to Kriggs about getting the canisters back online."

Drew raised an eyebrow. "So you're back on speaking terms?"

"Eh . . ." Anna shrugged noncommittally.

"Since you can't force him to leave, will you take him back as your research partner?"

"Probably," Anna said, rolling her eyes. "He really is invaluable. In a way, I'm glad he found a way to stick around."

Drew waggled his eyebrows. "I bet you are."

"I will kill you," Anna threatened. "And they'd never find a body."

"I believe you." Drew raised his hands in mock surrender.

"You better," Anna countered.

They ate in silence for a little bit. Drew watched the way Anna inspected each forkful of food before she put it in her mouth.

"What are you doing, checking it for poisons?"

Anna laughed self-consciously. "No, although I probably should. I have an irrational fear of bugs."

"Of bugs?" Drew asked incredulously.

Anna nodded. "Not of bugs in general, per se, but of accidentally eating one."

"In what, the interim between moving the food from the plate to your mouth?" 

"Hey, I said it was irrational, okay?"

Drew burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Keep it up, Hayden," Anna muttered.

Just then, May and Kriggs walked by. They were both squinting slightly, as if the light was too bright, while May clutched a large mug of coffee in her hands.

"Alcohol's bad," May moaned, and Kriggs nodded in agreement. They noticed Anna and Drew at the same time. May just looked pained, (probably from the hangover headache, Drew told himself) while Kriggs looked angry.

"Well, well, fancy seeing you here," he said shortly, glaring at Anna, who just sighed. Drew gave May a cursory glance before returning his attention to his food. If he looked at her any longer than a couple seconds, it felt like his heart was twitching.

"I see you're both dealing with the hangovers well," Anna quipped, smirking slightly at May. May just glared at her.

"Personally, I blame you. You and Solidad both, actually."

"Interesting," Anna said. "Well, I'd love to hear your reasoning, but if I don't go and talk with Kriggs, he just might explode."

Kriggs flushed bright red, contrasting strangely with his bright green eyes. Drew didn't think he'd ever seen the taller boy quite so angry.

"Yes. Let's talk," Kriggs said through gritted teeth, following Anna out of the room. May hesitated slightly before taking Anna's seat. Drew forced himself to look up.

"Hey, sorry for running out like that the other night," May said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger awkwardly.

"It's fine," Drew said sarcastically. "It's not like we were having a conversation or anything."

May flushed slightly but didn't respond. Drew took a drink of water to steady his nerves, but when he slammed the glass back down, May looked up, apprehensive.

"Look, I said I'm sorry—"

"Forget it, May. It's no big deal."

"Well, obvious you're upset about something, so . . ."

Drew barked a laugh. "Why would I be upset? If you want to get drunk and sleep with someone you barely know, that's your choice."

"Sleep with . . . I didn't sleep with anyone!" May said hotly. "And certainly not _Kriggs_."

"Oh, like I believe that," Drew scoffed. He looked down at his hands, realizing that he'd accidentally bent a fork back on itself. He hid it under a napkin and glared at May. She looked at him, shocked. Suddenly, her blue eyes filled with tears.

"Is that what you think of me? That I'd sleep with someone I just met? And knowing what I know about him and Anna?" May didn't wait for an answer. Tears streaming down her face, May stood up and left, leaving Drew alone at the table.

Drew made a miserable sound in the back of his throat and buried his face in his hands.

"I'm stealing Dawn for a minute," May said, dragging Dawn away from Paul's bed. Paul looked at her, annoyed, while Dawn started to protest. But she took one look at May's face and immediately stopped.

"I'll see you later," she said, smiling at Paul, before turning and following May out of the infirmary. They made it all the way to Dawn's room before May burst into tears.

Dawn sighed. "I have chocolate," she said, opening the door.

They sat on the bed while May told her everything. After she was done talking, May expected Dawn to smile sympathetically, or offer some words of encouragement. She did _not_, however, expect Dawn to start giggling uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?" May snapped, glaring at her. Dawn just continued to roll around and laugh.

"I'm sorry, but you can be so _dense_ sometimes," Dawn said gleefully. "Do you want to know why Drew was acting like that?"

"Because he's a jerk with no regard for anyone else's feelings?" May offered, snagging another truffle.

Dawn shook her head. "He was jealous, May."

May froze for a second before replying. "No way. Why would he be jealous?"

"You tell me," Dawn said, raising an eyebrow. She giggled again. "At least you're not in denial anymore."

"Oh, trust me," May said, shoving more chocolate in her mouth. "I'm going back. Denial was a wonderful place filled with ignorance and bliss."

Dawn ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Do you know how Paul and I got together?"

May wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure I want to."

"Shut up," Dawn said. "Do you remember that day you and Anna were spying on us in Asteria's?"

"Hey, we weren't spying," May replied, laughing. "We were there first."

"Whatever. After we left the store, Kenny called me. I didn't answer, obviously, but Paul was really weird anyway."

"Paul's always weird, Dawn," May said, which got her hit in the face with a pillow.

"_Anyway_, we got back to my room, and I asked him what was wrong. He started being really nasty with me, basically accusing me of leading Kenny on."

"What'd you do?"

Dawn giggled. "I kissed him."

"Dawn!"

"What?" Dawn asked defensively. "Paul's really cute when he gets jealous."

May groaned and flopped backwards, pulling the pillow down over her face. "Well, that's not going to work for me, Dawn," she said through the pillow.

"It could," Dawn muttered. May groaned again. "Alright, alright. How about this. Why don't you have a battle with Drew?"

"A battle?" May peered cautiously from around the pillow.

"Yes, May, a battle," Dawn said sarcastically. "That's something we coordinators sometimes do."

"I don't like sarcastic Dawn. I think Paul's a bad influence on you," May retorted.

Dawn smiled wickedly. "Maybe I like that."

"And now I'm dead. Yep, that just killed me."

"Good, because I'm going back to the infirmary now. And you're going to track down Drew and—"

"No," May said firmly. "This is on him. If Drew wants to fix it, then he can. If not, I'll just find a way to deal with it. I won't chase after him like an idiot, Dawn. I won't."

Dawn looked at May for a second before nodding. "Alright, I can respect that."

"Good. Now get out of here. If I keep you any longer, Paul might come after me with his Electivire."

"He's really not that bad, you know," Dawn said quietly. "Paul can be really sweet." May looked at Dawn sharply, but the younger girl was staring off into space, a dreamy expression on her face.

"Oh, my God," May said, her eyes wide. "You're in love with him."

"No! I mean, it's not like . . . serious, or anything," Dawn replied unconvincingly, staring at the floor.

May smirked. "The fact that your face now resembles a tomato says otherwise, Dawn."

"At least I'm not in love with a guy who has grass growing from his head," Dawn retorted.

"Yeah, because purple hair is so much better," May said sarcastically.

They both laughed as they left the room. Dawn went to the right, heading back upstairs, while May wandered around for a while, thinking over their conversation.

_Could he really be jealous_? May wondered. And if he was, did that mean he . . . _Stop it_, May rebuked herself harshly. She wasn't going to do this. She wasn't going to stand here and torture herself with maybes and what ifs.

"Come on, Pidgeot, let's go," May said, releasing the pokémon. She needed to clear her mind desperately. As they flew away from the ship, May sighed, feeling the tension in her body begin to leak away. Just before they entered the cloud bank, May turned, glancing back at _The Autumn Light_. She watched as it cut smoothly through the waves, gleaming in the sunlight. Then, she turned, disappearing into cool, misty embrace of the clouds.

May was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the dark haired woman sitting astride a Fearow, watching her from another bank of clouds.

The woman grinned wickedly, her dark eyes fixed on May.

"Hello, Ms. Maple," Zaphara said, her eyes glinting cruelly.

**Cliffhanger! Like I said, I'm just getting started with that whole business. Next chapter we'll finally meet Zaphara for real, plus (drumroll please) questshipping! Yay! Anyway, like always, leave a review and let me know what you guys think. Thank a lot, and happy less-than-a-week-to-Halloween everybody! **


	17. Crisis

**And here we go! Crisis #2, ladies and gentlemen, all courtesy of yours truly. Well, technically it's all Zaphara's fault. If anyone asks, blame her. Also, Lance and Solidad finally get air some of their issues, which I've been dying to get to but just haven't found the right moment yet. So, without further ado, chapter 17!**

Lance walked swiftly and purposefully, his red hair noticeably disheveled, his eyes wide with restrained dismay. It took every last bit of his extensive conditioning to keep himself in check. Emotions were a crutch, something to be repressed and curbed. He had learned at a young age how to tamp down on the more passionate side of his brain, and to embrace the analytical, the scientific.

In his line of work, if you allowed your emotions to guide your judgment, people died.

Of course, while this mindset had allowed him to excel at his work, it had provided for a less than satisfactory personal life. Solidad was a prime example.

"Focus," Lance muttered. He scanned the row of doors, found the one he wanted, and knocked, the sound echoing with an eerie finality.

Lance watched as the door cracked open and a pair of dark eyes glared out at him.

"What do you want?" Anna snapped, her voice filled with reproach for her sister. For a second, Lance was a bit surprised at how unprofessional she was being. But then he realized that she assumed he was here for personal reasons. Of course she would. It was Solidad's door was knocking on, not Anna's.

"I'm here for business," Lance replied curtly. "Marina told me you were here."

Immediately the door opened and Anna stepped outside, her eyes serious. "What's wrong?"

Lance hesitated and glanced around. Anna nodded, understanding. "There's a room nearby we can use."

As they walked, Anna pulled a device out of her pocket and slipped it onto her wrist; it was extremely similar to the one that Lance himself wore, but smaller, sleeker. Anna tapped a message on it quickly, then darkened the screen with a swipe of her hand.

A few minutes later, they stopped in front of an innocuous metal door, which, if the circumstances had been difference, Lance would have assumed was a storage closet. Kriggs came jogging up, looking as apprehensive as Lance felt. Bleakly, Anna opened the door and gestured to Lance.

"After you."

The room was small, with no furniture other than a small, spindly table. Anna and Kriggs stood next to each other, leaning against the wall opposite Lance. They regarded him gravely for a minute, a disconcerting mix of dark brown and bright green eyes.

Wordlessly, Lance reached into his pocket and drew out what had brought him there. Anna's faced all but drained of color as she reached out and took the twisted bit of metal from him. It was the letter "Z", cut from a sheet of black metal and sharpened to a razor edge. Zaphara.

"When and where did you find this?" Anna asked quietly. Her face was inscrutable, but Lance knew that behind that impenetrable mask, her mind was running at breakneck speed.

"Twenty minutes ago, outside my room," he replied, and he withdrew a second item from his jacket. "It was pinning this to the door." He held a sheet of paper out to Anna, who took it and began reading, her face draining of what little color it had left. When she was done, she passed the note to Kriggs, who read it grimly.

_History repeats itself. The eggs for the girl. No negotiations. Anna knows where. You have two hours._

"Who?" Anna asked, her face hardening into a mask of cold calculation.

In response, Lance pulled out the third and final item he had found lodged in his door that evening. From his hands hung a torn scrap from what once had been a red bandana.

Anna inhaled sharply, her nostrils flaring with suppressed anger. "May."

Lance nodded. "Duke started interviews immediately, but no one's seen her in hours." Anna's eyes widened in irritation, but Lance quickly held up his hands. "He was discreet, of course. That last thing we need is a panic."

Anna nodded grimly.

"Who had last contact with her?" Kriggs asked.

"Dawn talked to her roughly five hours ago, but she doesn't know where May went after that."

Kriggs nodded, pulling a notebook and pen out of his bag. He started scribbling frantically, numbers and figures flying across the page in a scrawl of black ink. He muttered to himself as he wrote, but Anna and Lance didn't seem to notice.

"What did they talk about?" Anna asked.

Lance shrugged. "Girl stuff, apparently. Dawn said May was pretty upset."

"She probably went flying," Anna muttered, frowning. "Have you talked to Drew yet?"

"Drew? No," Lance replied, looking slightly startled. "Should I?"

Anna looked like she was steeling herself for something but didn't answer immediately. "Kriggs, what's our window time wise?"

Kriggs looked up, his pen poised above the paper. "Based on the note and last contact, I'd say we have maybe forty minutes for a clean extraction. Any longer, and things'll get messy."

Anna nodded slowly as she started running scenarios, but she didn't ask anything else. Lance looked at her curiously.

"What about the geographic window?"

"I already know where they are," Anna said absent mindedly. "Lance, find Drew, send him down to the lab. Kriggs, go prep, then meet me up-deck on ten minutes." Anna's voice was crisp, businesslike, as if she had issued those same orders a dozen times. She looked around at both of them, her eyes filled with a tomblike darkness. "Let's go."

They filed out of the room, Kriggs and Lance to the left, Anna to the right. Once they boys were out of sight, she broke into a run, sprinting for the lab. The motion and speed helped her think, which were two reasons she spent so much time flying with Lottie. Even as she ran, she called for Lottie, telling her to head to the rendezvous spot she'd set up with Kriggs.

Inside the lab, Anna struggled through piles of rubble, breaking through into the bunkroom. She glanced up at the grate that had been clumsily welded back to the wall. Apparently after beating Paul, Crenshaw hadn't attempted to follow the others into the vents. Anna frowned, unease bubbling inside her.

Not for the first time, she wondered what had caused Zaphara and Crenshaw to leave that day; she and Kriggs had been out of commission, Lance's team barely handling the onslaught from the many pokémon under Zaphara's control. Why had they simply retreated, when all that stood between them and the eggs were a couple of inexperienced trainers?

Anna shook her head. She didn't have time to think about that now. Moving to the left hand wall, she placed her palm against the cool metal, feeling the slight zing of electricity as her hand was scanned. A second later, there was a whirring noise as the wall split, revealing a small, dimly lit room.

It was, as Kriggs jokingly called it, her "dressing room". Only instead of sparkling dresses and piles of shoes, the room was filled with weapons and gear. Anna gritted her teeth; she'd been hoping to avoid going back to this. She didn't like to think about all the years she had lost, chasing faceless phantoms through dark alleys ways, only to discover that for every one she managed to subdue, twenty more sprang forward to take its place.

"Enough," Anna muttered, and she banished her personal misgivings to the back of her mind. She had a job to do.

Anna dressed quickly in her standard outfitting for an extraction; long pants, a jacket with a high collar, thick boots and thin gloves, all made from a black material that could just as easily turn away a knife blade as a pokémon attack. She was picky with what weapons she chose; she took only ones that were small and easily concealed.

"Anna?" Drew was in the main part of the lab, his feet crunching over the layer of glass that still littered the floor.

"In here," Anna called, twisting her hair into a tight bun, which she pinned in place with a set of lock picks. It always paid to be prepared.

"What's going on?" Drew asked, sticking his head in the door. His eyes widened as he took in the room. "Holy sh—"

"We have a problem," Anna interrupted. Quickly, she explained the situation, ignoring the dismay and horror that crept into Drew's eyes.

"It's my fault," he whispered. "We had a fight. I was being a jerk. If I hadn't—"

"Zaphara would have grabbed her another way," Anna interjected. "Or she would have taken someone else."

"Still . . ."

"We're wasting time," Anna said brusquely. "There're clothes in that cabinet there. Get dressed, _quickly_, and take one of those." Anna gestured to a set of gleaming black rods hanging by the door.

"What do you mean, get dressed?" Drew asked, looking at her sharply.

Anna had to bite her tongue to keep from snapping at him. "If you're coming, you have to have protective clothing. You are coming, aren't you?"

Drew's face hardened, purpose sharpening his features. "Of course. 

"Just hurry," Anna said, her dark eyes glinting. "We have to be up-deck in three minutes."

They were there in two and a half. Lottie was in her human form, standing next to Kriggs and Lance, who both looked pale in the dusky half-light. Kriggs was holding a large black case with a streak of gray zigzagging down the side.

Kriggs looked mildly surprised at Drew's presence, but he didn't say anything. Lance looked like he was going to protest, but one look from Anna silenced him as well.

"Lance, put watchers on everyone's who left," Anna ordered. "This could be a trick."

Lance nodded. "Already done."

"Good." Anna turned to Drew and tossed him a small piece of black plastic. "Put that in and don't take it out. It's an earpiece." Drew obeyed, fitting the little device into the hollow of his ear.

Anna took a deep breath and looked at Kriggs. "Ready?" He nodded once, fiddling slightly with the handle on the case. They all stood there in silence for a second, as there was nothing more to say. Finally, Anna turned to Lottie, her face pale but set. "Let's go."

Lottie transformed in a flash of violet light, hovering over the deck. Kriggs pulled a pokeball of his pocket and tossed it up into the air, releasing a Talonflame. Drew called out Flygon, and soon the trio was speeding across the dark, open ocean. As they flew, Anna tried to shy away from the image of Zaphara's note. But no matter what she did, the words _history repeats itself_ seemed burned into her mind. She glanced sideways at Kriggs and her heart lurched. Anna took a deep breath. No. The past was set in stone, unchangeable. But the future was malleable, willing to change for those who demanded it to. Things would be different this time. They had to be, or she would die.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" Solidad asked. Dawn looked up from her dinner, her face brightening slightly.

"No, not at all," she said, smiling.

"Why so glum?" Solidad asked, stealing a carrot from Dawn's plate. Where May would have glared at her, Dawn just shook her head.

"No reason," Dawn replied hesitantly. Solidad waited for her to continue. "It's just . . . I don't know."

"Paul?"

Dawn nodded. "I'm just afraid that whatever Crenshaw did to him might be permanent. He hasn't been himself since he woke up, and he still sleeps so much." 

"It's probably just the painkillers, Dawn," Solidad said reassuringly.

"I guess."

"And he did hit his head pretty hard," Solidad added. Dawn nodded, but she still looked unsure.

"So you think it'll just pass?" she asked slowly.

Solidad nodded. "I'm sure he'll be back to the harsh, insulting, Paul we all know and love soon enough."

Dawn smiled in relief. "Thanks, Soli."

"No problem," Solidad said, laughing. Dawn looked up suddenly, her brow furrowing.

"Lance is staring at us," she said quietly. Solidad glanced across the room and, sure enough, Lance was sitting at a table by the window, his gaze trained on their table. When he noticed them watching him, Lance immediately pretended to be engrossed in his dinner.

"Oh, no," Solidad murmured, getting up, dread filling her.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked as they walked over to Lance.

"Lance came looking for Anna a little bit ago. I thought he just needed to talk to her, but . . ."

Lance watched them approach, his face unreadable. "What's up, Solidad?"

"Where's Anna?" Solidad asked bluntly, yanking a chair out and sitting down. Dawn hovered nearby, unwilling to leave but uncertain if she should stay.

"Oh, she's around here somewhere," Lance said lamely, but Solidad slammed a hand down onto the table.

"Lie to me again and see what happens," she threatened.

Lance sighed resignedly. "She's gone."

Solidad started to get up, undoubtable to follow her sister, but Lance put a hand on her wrist. "There's no use following them, Solidad. They left more than an hour ago."

Solidad's eyes flashed dangerously, and she jerked away from Lance's touch. "How could you?"

"How could I what?" Lance asked incredulously. "Let her do her job? Anna understands the risks, Solidad. It's her decision, not yours or anyone else's."

"That's great, coming from the man with nothing left to lose," Solidad snarled.

Lance's face flushed with anger. "You're the one who walked away, Solidad, not me."

"Because you were never there to begin with!" Solidad snapped.

"I've apologized a thousand times already. I won't say it again. You're too damn stubborn to forgive me."

Solidad laughed bitterly. "No, not stubborn. Smart. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

A muscle pulsed in Lance's temple, and his face matched his hair. "I made a mistake, Solidad. I admitted that. But I don't know what you what me to do, martyr myself?"

"That'd be a good start," Solidad said coldly.

"Oka-a-ay," Dawn said, stepping in between the two former lovers. Solidad and Lance both blinked. Neither of them had realized that they were standing face to face, glaring at each other in the middle of the crowded dining room.

Solidad took a deep breath. "You're going to tell me exactly what's going on, Lance. Now."

Lance looked like he was about to argue, but then he shrugged. "Fine, but if I do, I'll have to put you under lockdown."

"Is it that bad?" Solidad whispered, her face going pale as she momentarily forgot her anger.

Lance nodded. "She wouldn't have left otherwise." He motioned towards the door, but just then a resounding blast rocked through the ship, knocking everyone to the ground.

"Breach near the infirmary, breach near the infirmary!" It took a second for anyone to comprehend what the voice issuing from Lance's walkie-talkie was saying. Then, Dawn's face paled, and above the shouts and screams of the other passengers, Solidad and Lance clearly heard her cry out in terror.

Solidad looked at Lance, her blue eyes full of alarm. He couldn't hear what she said, but he didn't need to. He was saying the same thing.

"Paul." 

**Cliffhangers are fun. I would like to say the next chapter is nicer, but that would be a lie. And we must not tell lies. (Professor Umbridge, anyone?) But don't worry, our lovely heroine will be back next chapter. (And so will someone else, who I bet no one even realized was missing. Cue evil laugh) Anyway, please review, and Happy Halloween Eve everybody!**


	18. Let the Games Begin

**So, if you're not a person who likes plot twists, you should probably stop reading now. Otherwise, here we go!**

May was very cold. She shivered, instinctively curling up into a ball. As she moved, a way of nausea swept over her, and she dry heaved, her body convulsing as her head throbbed dully.

Breathing heavily, May forced herself to open her eyes. It took a moment for her vision to adjust, and in those seconds of disorienting darkness, the smell of dank earth almost overpowered her. Gradually, shapes began to take form out of the shadows. She was in a small room, maybe ten feet by ten feet, and the high ceiling made May feel as though she was at the bottom of a well.

May could just barely make out a thin outline of a door high off the ground. As May sat up, pain flared across her right side and lower back, leading her to assume she'd simply been tossed down there.

A slight sound from the corner caught her attention. May inhaled sharply as she made out the slumped over form of another person. Whoever it was, they were very still, and panic flared inside her. Things were bad enough already; May didn't think she could handle being stuck here with a dead body as well.

"Please be alive," May whispered, edging closer to the figure. She stared intently at the prone form, searching for any signs of life. Her body relaxed marginally as she made out the slight rise and fall of her fellow prisoner's chest. Whoever it was, at least they were alive.

Tentatively, May reached out and rolled the figure onto their back, and as the face fell into the light, May froze, shock rendering her completely immobile.

"Oh my God."

* * *

><p>"What the hell's going on?" Lance roared into his walkie-talkie as he sprinted toward the infirmary. "Duke? Duke, answer me!" There was only the pop and crackle of static. Swearing, Lance shoved the device back onto his belt. Dawn and Solidad exchanged a dark glance as they ran after him.<p>

"Where was Duke stationed?" Solidad shouted as another blast rocked the ship.

"Near the infirmary. He was supposed to be watching Paul."

Dawn whimpered. "It's him, it's Crenshaw. He's going to kill Paul."

"Not while I'm here," Lance said determinedly. As they rounded a corner, they almost slammed into Jimmy and Marina.

"What's going on?" Jimmy yelled. "Half the west side of the ship's been blown out!"

"It's the infirmary," Solidad said, not slowing her pace. "We think Crenshaw's going after Paul."

Marina's face hardened. "Let him come. We'll deal with him."

No one had time to process Marina's threat as another blast tore through the ship. Everyone was slammed against the wall as the ship listed dangerously to the side.

"We've got to keep moving," Dawn said through gritted teeth, forcing herself to stumble forward through the shock waves. Behind her, the others followed, their faces grim and set as they prepared themselves for whatever was up ahead.

* * *

><p>Anna's voice crackled to life in Drew's ear. "Get ready, we're landing." Drew looked over to see Anna and Kriggs bank slightly to the right, heading toward the base of a large cliff formation that ran parallel to the sea.<p>

It was tricky, landing on a small rocky outcropping that Anna had chosen. They were near the bottom of the cliff face, but even so, Drew estimated that they were already at least a hundred feet above the ocean. Lottie slipped into her human form, minus the burst of violet light that Drew was accustomed to.

Behind Anna, a gaping hole in the face of the rock extended into complete darkness. Drew swallowed hard. He didn't live dark enclosed spaces any more May did; he'd just never told her.

_But then again, there are a lot of things I never told her_, Drew thought bleakly. He forced himself to focus on what Anna was saying. If they were going to help May, he would have to concentrate.

"—entire area is riddled with tunnels," Anna was saying. "Most of them are unmapped and untraceable."

"You want to try and flank whoever has May," Drew guessed. Anna nodded. Beside her, Kriggs set the case he had been carrying on the ground and flicked open the clasp. Drew choked slight when he took out the Cresselia and Darkrae eggs.

"You brought the real eggs?" Drew hissed.

Anna nodded wearily. "You're surprised?"

"Of course! That's exactly what they wanted you to do!"

Kriggs laughed humorlessly, placing both eggs into smaller zippered cases made of black cloth. "What they wanted was for us to rush off here with decoys, leaving the real things back on the ship."

"But . . ." Drew froze as understanding hit him. "You're expecting an attack on the ship."

"Yes." Anna's gaze would have been more fitting on a hundred year old woman, not an eighteen year old girl.

"But what about everyone who's still there? What about Solidad and Dawn and—"

"Lance can handle that," Anna said, cutting him off. "I have to let him do his job, so I can do mine."

A thousand more thoughts and arguments cluttered Drew's mind, but he swallowed them all. May was running out of time. He would just have to trust Anna's judgment.

"Okay."

They moved into the shadows of the tunnels, the silence encompassing them as completely as the darkness. All Drew could do was follow Anna and Kriggs and pray for May to hold on for a little longer.

They crept through the darkness for what seemed like an eternity. Anna apparently knew where they were going, as she didn't bother with a light. Drew shifted slightly, trying to redistribute the weight of the Cresselia egg on his back. He had been slightly surprised when Kriggs handed the egg to him instead of Anna, but Drew quickly realized that if things got hairy, Anna would need the most mobility.

"You've been here before," Drew said quietly into the darkness.

There was a slight pause, and then Anna replied, "Yes."

"When?"

"A lifetime ago," Anna whispered.

Drew didn't ask any more questions.

* * *

><p>"I don't understand," May said, her brain not quite processing what she was seeing. "You were back on the ship."<p>

Paul grimaced slightly. "No."

"But—but, they pulled you out of the rubble. I saw them bring you into the infirmary."

"It wasn't me." Paul's voice was hoarse and raw, as if he hadn't spoken since that day in the lab. "He took my shape, I'm not sure how."

"Who . . . no," May whispered, coming to the conclusion that Paul hadn't been able to escape from for two days. "Crenshaw?"

Paul nodded, his face white with fear. Not for himself, of course, but for Dawn. May felt sick to her stomach as she remembered all the hours Dawn had spent by "Paul's" bedside. If Crenshaw hadn't had to keep his cover, Dawn would probably already be dead.

Paul moved slightly, and his face twisted in pain. May didn't know how serious Paul was injured, but even in the darkness, she could see that his leg was twisted at an unnatural angle. Even if May somehow managed to claw her way up to the door, there was no way she would be able to bring Paul with her.

May bit back a sob. Paul noticed that she was on the verge of losing it completely, so he tried to distract her.

"How did you get here, anyway?"

"I don't know," May replied dully. "I was flying, and I think something hit me."

"It's going to be okay," Paul said, trying to sound reassuring. Apparently he didn't have much practice, because he failed miserably. May laughed bitterly and reached out and took his hand, squeezing it tightly. Solidarity among prisoners.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caused May to turn. She was just in time to see a tunnel open in the wall furthest from the door. A figure dropped down, landing soundlessly on the stone floor. May helped Paul to his feet, wincing as he gasped in pain. He leaned on her heavily, and May swayed under the burden. They watched the figure approached warily, bracing themselves for a fight.

"Ready to get out of here?"

* * *

><p>The attack came from all sides. One minute the tunnels were silent and dark, the next everything had erupted into mass chaos. Drew felt himself slammed to the floor as something hot whizzed by his face.<p>

"Go, go, go!" Anna yelled, and Drew glanced up through a thick layer of reddish smoke to see her slashing through the air with a polished black rod, sparks flying as it came into contact with a dark figure. "Get out of here!"

Drew scrambled to his feet and took out down the tunnel, taking turns at random in an attempt to get away from his pursuers. The Cresselia egg banged against his back, each thump a reminder to run faster, run harder.

* * *

><p>It was slow going through the tunnel. Even with May and their rescuer supporting Paul's weight, he could barely walk. Still, someone with a lesser will would have already collapsed, writhing in paim. Paul kept moving even though every step must have been pure agony.<p>

Ahead of them, May heard a girl shouting, and her heart leapt as she realized it was Anna. There were other sounds, men and women shouting, the crackle of electricity, the sound of crunching stone, but it was Anna's voice that renewed May's hope.

Paul looked at her and grinned faintly. "Told you it would be okay . . ."

Then something shot around the corner, slamming into the trio.

* * *

><p>Drew didn't see the others until he ran into them. He gasped in pain as the wind was knocked out of him. They all went down in a painful mass of thrashing limbs and twisting bodies. He heard someone grunt with pain, and a girl screamed from beneath him. The sound painfully, achingly familiar.<p>

"May?"

"Drew?"

"Oh my God." He reached out toward her voice and pulled her into his arms. They clung to each other in the darkness, and Drew could feel her shuddering with silent sobs. His own body was trembling, his arms shaking uncontrollable as he buried his face in her hair.

And then, he felt himself wrenched backwards and slammed into the wall, gasping as the air whooshed out of his lungs for the second time.

"No, wait," May cried. "We know him!"

"He's got an egg." The unfamiliar voice was rough, and Drew felt hands tearing at the cloth case on his back.

"Get off," he yelled, kicking out. He didn't know what his foot smashed into, but his assailant gasped in pain, his hold on Drew lessening.

"Stop," May said again, and light filled the tunnel. Drew found himself in a little huddle with May, a stranger with a olive skin and a mop of dark hair who was holding a flashlight, and . . .

"_Paul_?"

The purple haired boy nodded, his face creased with pain. "The one and only." But there was no time for Drew to process this development.

"Drew, how did you get here?" May asked, her blue eyes wide.

Drew smiled faintly. "Anna."

The boy Drew had just kicked snorted. "So she's back in the game?"

Drew nodded slowly. "I suppose. Who are you?"

"An old friend of hers," the guy replied. "Dominick. You can call me Dom, but only if we keep moving. Judging from the sound of that," he motioned down the tunnel, where echoes from the skirmish could still be heard, "we don't have much time."

Drew looked at May, and she nodded. "He got Paul and me out of our cell."Which was her way of telling Drew they could trust him.

_Plus, we don't really have any other options_, Drew thought bitterly. Aloud, however, all he said was, "Fine. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Anna hissed in pain, leaning against the wall as she surveyed the damage around her. Bodies littered the floor, and chunks of stone had been carved from the wall, huge jagged lumps interspersed with all the dispatched foes.<p>

"Are they dead?" Kriggs asked quietly, surveying Anna from the opposite wall. She shook her head, forcing herself to ignore the burning in her wrist.

"No. But they won't bother us again."

"Good."

Lottie appeared out of the darkness, her eyes wide as she ran up to Anna. They stared at each other for a second, communicating silently, before Anna hissed in rage.

"I don't _believe_ it."

"What?"

"That _idiot_. I'll _kill_ him."

"Oh great," Kriggs said sarcastically as Anna started off down the hall. "More people to fight."

* * *

><p>As they walked, Drew took over carrying Paul from May, who smiled gratefully at him. She reached out and took his free hand, intertwining their fingers. Quietly, she related her conversation with Paul from the cell.<p>

"Crenshaw never left the ship."

"No."

"Dammit," Drew hissed. "How could we all be so stupid? I mean, shouldn't Dawn at least have noticed something was off?"

May shook her head. "He was on so many painkillers. And he was almost always asleep. I don't think she really had a chance to talk to him that much."

They were silent for a little bit. There were a thousand things May wanted to say to Drew, but it didn't like the appropriate.

"Fancy meeting you here, Dom." Anna and Kriggs appeared out of the darkness. Any bit of exposed skin was littered with cuts and bruises, but May was relieved to see that they seemed relatively unharmed.

"I could say the same to you," Dom replied coldly. "Come out of retirement?"

"I didn't really have a choice," Anna replied, her voice as sharp as a razor blade. "You could have warned me, Dominick."

Dom barked a laugh. "Maybe if I had known where to find you, Annie."

Anna started to retort, but then she noticed Paul. May watched as her face hardened, her eyes crystallizing into pitch black obsidian as she realized the implications of his presence there.

"Crenshaw or Zaphara?" Anna asked, looking at Dom.

"Crenshaw," he replied. "And I didn't know until a little bit ago, so don't flip out."

"Um, not to be a buzzkill," Kriggs interjected, "but we're running out of time. We're already past the forty minute window."

"Oh, great," Dom said sarcastically. "Now things will really start to pick up."

May let out a shaky breath, and Drew squeezed her hand comfortingly. "Can you get a message back to the ship?" she asked, looking at Anna. "To tell them about Crenshaw?" The older girl shook her head.

"There's no signal so far underground. Once we get to the surface, it'll be the first thing I do."

"Oh, I think you'll have other things on your mind," a silky voice whispered from the shadows. So quick that May barely knew what was happening, something lashed out, striking her on the back of the head. May tried to call out for Drew, but her lips had barely formed the word before she slumped to the floor, insensible.

Zapahara smiled wickedly, her eyes alighting on the five unconscious bodies in front of her.

"Let the games begin."

**So how'd you like that plot twist? I would apologize for all the cliffies, but honestly, I'm not really sorry :) They give me a springboard to launch the next chapter, and plus, they're fun. Anyway, thanks, and please review!**


	19. Definition

**FINALLY.**

May groaned slightly as she returned to consciousness, feeling very odd. She wasn't in pain, exactly, but there was a pressure behind her eyes that was far from comfortable.

"May? May, wake up."

"Drew?" May asked groggily, sitting up. At first, she thought that her eyes were still closed. The world was formless, an endless expanse of shifting gray shadows. A wave of nausea hit her, and May doubled over, breathing heavily. Beneath her, the shadows had compacted slightly, forming a semi-solid plane.

Drew crouched down next to her. "Are you alright?"

May nodded "Where are we?" she asked, letting him help her to her feet.

"I'm not sure," Drew replied. His green hair was uncharacteristically unruly, his eyes wide with fear.

"The others . . . do you think they're okay?"

Drew shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen anyone else here, though."

"How long have you been awake?" May asked.

Drew's brow furrowed slightly. "I . . . can't tell . . ." he replied hesitantly. "Time's weird here. Before you woke up, I thought I was dreaming. Maybe I still am."

May shook her head. "No, we're awake. Or, I don't know, conscious, at least." Drew nodded absently, staring at something over her shoulder. May turned to look at what had caught his attention. "What?"

"I thought I saw a door."

"A door?" May squinted, but she couldn't make anything out in the formlessness. The pressure in her head increased the harder she tried to focus.

Drew shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We're stuck here anyway," he said, gesturing to the little area of ground they were standing on.

May cocked her head slightly, considering the space around her. Tentatively, she stepped over the border between stability and ambiguity, her foot hovering in space above what appeared to be endless chaos. As May stepped down, the shadows coalesced beneath her foot, forming an irregular circle. May looked at Drew questioningly. He nodded once and stepped onto the circle with her. May reached out and took his hand, gripping it tightly as they walked forward through the vacuum.

Each step May took, she expected the ground to crumble beneath her, sending them both hurtling endlessly through empty space. She remembered a story she had once read about an abyss, a bottomless hole, and how if you had the misfortune to fall into one, you were doomed to spend eternity plummeting through endless darkness.

May shivered and tried to think of something more pleasant.

Drew stopped suddenly, squeezing May's hand tightly. "There. Look."

There was a wooden door hovering some distance away from them. May would have said it was a few yards, but in this place, she didn't think standards units of measure applied.

"I say we go for it," May whispered. "We don't really have anything to lose." Drew was very pale, his hand shaking in May's. "What's wrong?"

"I recognize that door," whispered Drew. "And I know where we are."

"I don't understand."

"If they got Kriggs, and I think they did, then they have the Darkrai egg. We're in a nightmare. _My _nightmare."

"But why . . ."

"I don't know, okay?" Drew snapped. "Stop asking me questions!"

May flinched slightly, but then her gaze took on a steely quality. "What's behind the door, Drew?"

"Nothing," Drew said, his voice raw. "Let's keep moving."

"We have to go through it."

"No."

"Drew, we don't have a choice!" yelled May. "What are we supposed to do, just keep wandering around until we die?"

"I'm cool with that," Drew joked weakly, earning him a death glare from May.

"Let's go," May said, holding out her hand again. For a second, she thought Drew would refuse. But then he grasped her hand tightly, interlocking their fingers as they walked toward the door. As they grew closer, the brass knob seemed to glint coldly, reflecting light that wasn't there. May didn't know how Drew could tell one wooden door from another, but he was convinced that he recognized it.

And then there were there. Drew choked slightly as May reached out to turn the knob. "No, don't!"

She sighed. "Drew, we have to—"

"I know! I know," Drew replied, and May saw that he was sweating profusely. "Just . . . let me. I don't think it will open for you."

May looked at him for a second, and then nodded. "Alright."

Drew reached out and gripped the doorknob tightly. Slowly, he turned it, the lock clicking open as he pushed the door in. They both peered inside anxiously, but all there seemed to be was the same shifting shadows that made up the rest of the world.

Cautiously, they both took a step forward. As they crossed the threshold, the world snapped into place, colors blossoming and shapes appearing so suddenly that May had to squeeze her eyes against the sight. She heard the door slam behind them, the sound of the lock clicking back into place piercing the silence.

Slowly, slowly, she opened her eyes.

They were standing in a living room. An old brown couch was shoved in front of a boxy television set, orange drapes drawn across the windows behind it. The dark green rug was worn in places, and a battered coffee table was covered in burn scars and water rings.

For the second time that day, May asked, "Where are we?"

"My old house," Drew replied bitterly. A door on the opposite side of the room slammed open, and a couple burst through, apparently laughing as they dumped a backpack full of money onto the table. They were talking, but their voices were strangely muted, their lips moving without sound.

May studied them closely, wondering why they were in Drew's nightmare. The woman's hair might once have been brown, but successive dye jobs had left it blonde and straggly, falling just past her shoulders. May couldn't help but notice how filthy she was, dirt caked under her finger nails and stains covering her yellowed shirt. Her green eyes might once have been bright and luminous, but now they were bleary and red rimmed, whether from lack of sleep or something else, May couldn't tell.

And while the man wasn't much better, it wasn't his unkempt appearance that drew May's attention. It was his greasy green hair, the angle of his jaw, and the defiant set to his mouth that May couldn't stop staring at.

"Are those your _parents_?" May asked, unable to keep a note of revulsion out of her voice.

Drew laughed shortly. "What do you think?"

The muted conversation continued. May watched as Drew's mother said something that apparently didn't sit well with his father. The man immediately flushed with anger and whipped a hand up, catching her on the side of the face. Drew's mother stumbled backwards, her head cracking into the side of the couch.

Enraged, she shot to her feet, grabbing an empty beer bottle off the floor. She went at him with it, glass shattering silently as the scene dissolved into complete chaos. A flash of movement in the corner of the room caught May's eye. A little boy, maybe five or six, peered out from behind a chair, his green eyes wide and terrified. Drew.

There were no words.

The scene shifted, and May found herself watching Drew's childhood from behind a pane of silent glass. It was a miserable existence, filled with a type of poverty and humiliation May never could have imagined. There were no Christmas presents, no birthday parties, no books at night before bed. Instead, she quickly realized that a good day was one where Drew's parents forgot he was there, and he was left to his own devices.

"You never told me," May whispered, turning to Drew.

He wouldn't meet her eyes. "Why? So you could judge me?" he asked bitterly.

"Dammit, Drew!" May yelled. "Do you honestly think that I—"

"That you would have looked at me differently, treated me differently?" Drew yelled, his green eyes filled with pain. "Absolutely."

May flinched. "Never."

"Oh, really?" Drew scoffed. "What about the way you're looking at me right now?"

"How am I looking at you?" demanded May, stepping forward to glare at him.

"I don't need your pity, May,' Drew said harshly.

May started to reply, but she bit her tongue, forcing herself to calm down. "I don't pity you," she said quietly.

"Then what is it?" Drew asked sarcastically. May was silent. Drew just shook his head in disgust and turned away. "That's what I thought."

May clenched her eyes shut, fighting the tide of emotions swelling in her chest. "I . . ." Her throat closed up, cutting off her voice.

"I didn't want you to know," said Drew, his voice markedly softer. "I thought it would be better that way. You don't understand, how hard it was, how hard it _is_, being around you."

"I wouldn't have cared," May said, opening her eyes. "I _don't_ care." Drew just shook his head, his green eyes filled with regret.

"May—"

"No, listen to me!" May yelled, reaching forward and grabbing Drew by the front of his shirt. She had to make him _understand_. "You are the reason I am still a coordinator. Whenever I've felt like giving up, or going home, or taking the easy way out, you were the reason I kept going. Every single time I won a contest, it was because you kept pushing me, pushing me to get better, to expect more out of myself." Drew tried to say something again, but May kept going.

"This? This right here?" she said, gesturing to the room, to his parents. "This doesn't define you. It doesn't _get_ to define you. You're better than them, better than all of this, because you chose to be. _That's _what defines you, nothing else." Drew was looking at her oddly, his eyes filled with something May had never seen before.

"And that's another thing—"

"Stop talking."

"What? No!" May glared at him. "I'm not going to—"

Drew leaned forward and kissed her, effectively shutting her up. May didn't even have to think about her response to that. She wound her arms around his neck, kissing him back fiercely. They swayed slightly, wrapped in each other's arms, as the world began to dissolve around them.

The next thing May knew, she was lying flat on her back, gasping for air. She sat up, looking around frantically for Drew. He was a sitting a few feet away from her, coughing violently, as Paul pounded him on the back weakly.

"What happened?" May rasped, looking at Paul.

"They took everyone else," Paul replied, his voice weak. "Zaphara said that you two wouldn't wake up. They left us here to die."

They were in another cell, larger and definitely worse. Bundles of rags littered the floor, and something that looked suspiciously like bone poked through the scraps of fabric. A single torch hung in a bracket on the wall, casting a flickering orange light over everything.

"We have to get out of here," May said, trying to stand up. But her legs couldn't handle any weight, and they folded under her. "Dammit."

"There's no door," Paul said quietly. "Zaphara has a Golem. It opened a hole in the floor and they threw us down here." He winced in pain, and May realized that Paul was in bad shape. His face was pale as a sheet, and she could see blood oozing out of a wound at his side.

"We have to get out of here," May repeated, forcing herself to stand on shaky legs. She looked around desperately, but unless she planned on constructing a ladder out of old bones, there was nothing of use. 

"Where's Lottie?" Drew asked suddenly. "She was with us when we went into the tunnels. Did they get her, too?"

"I don't think so," Paul, looking slightly hopeful. "Do you think . . ?"

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," May whispered. Paul nodded and closed his eyes, drifting off into a painful sleep. May went and sat down next to Drew, leaning her back against the wall.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly, staring at her hands.

Drew chuckled. "All things considered, I suppose I could be better. 

May smiled slightly and rested her head on his shoulder. "I know what you mean."

"How do you think we got out of there?" asked May, knitting their fingers together.

Drew pressed his lips to her temple. "You were probably shouting too loud for the Darkrai to concentrate," he whispered into her hair.

"Shut up," May said, kissing him. Wrapping his arm around her, Drew pulled May close, and they huddled together, more for comfort than for anything else. Above them, burrowing steadfastly through layers of rock and earth, Lottie gave a little roar of defiance. They weren't done yet.

**Does that count as a cliffhanger? I don't know. Anyway, CONTESTSHIPPING! Finally! Yeah, and Paul's dying. That kind of sucks, but hey, everyone can't come out on top, right? Hehehehe. Anyway, like I said in the intro to one of my Chaos Theory chapters, I've been suffering from writer's block for a while. I feel like this story is kind of suffering, which I really apologize for. There's still a lot more to go, though, and I haven't even gone into what's going on back in the ship yet. Hang in there with me, and I'll try to get through the rest as painlessly as possible. As always, please review, because comments and suggestions really help me when I go to write a new chapter. Thank you for all of the wonderful support, it really means a lot **


	20. Coward

**So, a little more backstory for Anna and Dom here. But honestly, this is just the set up for the next chapter, which is where the real shocker is. **

Anna clenched her eyes shut tightly, trying to block out the scene around her. It was like sinking back into an old nightmare, but with the terrifying reality that she wasn't going to wake up. The ring of stone monoliths was exactly as it had been that night, the black pillars rising up towards the sky. She, Kriggs, and Dom were leaning against one, the cold stone biting into her back, unyielding. Beside her, Dom turned suddenly, turning the full force of his icy blue eyes on her. Anna was slightly surprised. In all the hours they had been sitting against the stele, Dom had remained stiff and silent.

"It wasn't enough for you to get them killed, was it?" Dom spat, glaring at Anna. She avoided his gaze, staring despondently at the ground.

"I'm not doing this with you, Dom," she whispered, her voice as broken as it had ever been. On her other side, Kriggs was still slumped over, unconscious, his wrists and ankles bound as well. Anna's heart lurched every time she looked at him, silently begging Kriggs to wake up.

"Oh, I get it," Dom sneered, his green eyes glinting cruelly in the moonlight. "You're out of answers. After all these years, you've finally screwed up so badly that even you can't deny it."

"Enough, Dom," Anna said quietly. "It's over. I'm sorry about Leila, I truly am. But there was nothing I could have—"

"You could have been there!" Dom hissed. "It was Danny's job to do perimeter check that night! If you hadn't been so wrapped up in having your little _adventure_, then neither of them would be dead!"

"You think that I don't know that?" yelled Anna, her eyes flashing dangerously. Beside her, Kriggs opened his eyes, but he stayed still, listening to the argument. "You think that I don't regret switching with Danny? Do you honestly believe that there isn't a single day that goes by when I don't ask myself why?"

"See, that's the thing, Anna," Dom said slowly, shaking his head in disgust. "I don't know. And you know why? Because you _left_. You couldn't handle the consequences, so you cut and ran. You're a coward."

Anna flinched at the venom in his voice. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, really?" asked Dom derisively. "I don't know what it's like to lose someone that I love? You're really going to sit there and say that to my face?"

"That's not what I'm talking about," Anna said coldly, a trace of her old self coming back. "You weren't there that night, Dom. You didn't have to see their bodies. You didn't have to see all the _blood_, for God's sake. _You weren't there_."

"No, I wasn't," Dom snapped. "I was twenty miles away, with my own team, doing my job. And you know what? None of my teammates died. We didn't lose an egg. We were just fine. You're the one who—"

"Enough!" Kriggs yelled, struggling into a sitting position. Anna and Dom both looked at him, startled. "You don't talk to her like that," he snarled at Dom, his own eyes a steely green.

Dom barked a laugh. "Oh, don't even bother. You think you're going to win points with the Ice Queen by defending her? Please. It took Danny years to get through to her, and you know what? That's why he's dead. Let me give you some advice, kid. Stay as far away from this bitch," he said, jerking his head at Anna, "as you can. If she hasn't already signed your death warrant, of course, in which case none of this really matters."

Anna's eyes blazed with fury as her face drained of color. Before she could retaliate, however, a flutter of movement above them caught her eye. A writhing serpentine form was slowly sliding out from behind a cloud, spiraling towards the ground. They watched, riveted, as a figure that could only be Zaphara descended from the Rayquaze, a mass of shadows billowing around her feet.

Zaphara touched down gently right in the center of the circle, her sleeveless black dress swirling gently around her.. Anna's eyes fixed on the Darkrai egg, strapped into a harness on her back.

"Well, well," Zaphara clucked, walking towards them. "It didn't take long at all for you to turn on each other."

Dom let loose a string of curse words that had his mother turning over in her grave. Despite the animosity that still hung thick and heavy between them, Anna found her lip curling slightly as she watched Zaphara's eyes harden.

Anna's amusement was short lived, however, as a tendril of black energy snaked out from the Darkrai egg, burying itself in Dom's chest. He collapsed, screaming and writhing in agony, as Anna and Kriggs struggled against their bonds in an effort to help him.

The tendril withdrew into the egg, leaving Dom panting heavily on the ground as his limbs continued to twitch sporadically.

"You know," Zaphara said thoughtfully, coming to crouch in front of her three captives, "when I was a child, we had respect for our elders."

"I have more respect for a whore then you," Dom spat. "Oh, wait, that was your mother, wasn't it?"

By the time Zaphara had the shadows withdraw from Dom's body, he was barely conscious. Blood was leaking from the corner of his mouth, cutting a dark red swatch across his skin.

"Now," Zaphara said pleasantly, her eyes glinting dangerously, "anyone else care to make a smartass remark?"

Anna sneered at her, tossing her head defiantly. "Oh, I can't let Dom have all the fun. Everyone knows your mother was a whore, but did she have to drug your father to get him to sleep with her, or did she just pay him off?"

"Anna, no!" shouted Kriggs, but it was too late. Anna was already twisting and thrashing on the ground. But despite the agony she was in, she allowed not a sound to pass her lips. Zaphara seemed irritated by her silence, and kept the shadowy barb in Anna for far longer than she had Dom, but it was no use. She might as well have been trying to pull sound from a mute.

"You know, I'm prepared to offer you a very generous deal," she hissed, her face inches from Anna's. The tendril finally withdrew, allowing Zaphara to get a good hold on Anna's collar. "You should be a little bit more polite."

"Fuck you," Anna snarled, staring at Zaphara insolently through a haze of pain.

"Oh, but I think you'll be interested in what I have to offer," Zaphara said, snapping her fingers. Immediately, more coils of shadow sprang from the Darkrai egg, but instead of inflicting pain, they lifted Anna into the air, dragged her after Zaphara as the black eyed woman strode to the center of the circle.

"I doubt that," Anna muttered.

"You and that Latias have been a thorn in my side for years," Zaphara said, ignoring her.  
>"In fact, when I think about all the trouble you two have caused me, you should be grateful I didn't just kill you immediately."<p>

"How generous of you," Anna scoffed.

"But I will kill you," Zaphara said, her voice soft. "You know that as well as I do. I won't lie to you, Anna. By the end of the night, you and Dominick will both be dead, and I'll have that Latias one way or another. Of course, I would prefer to sever the link before I kill you, which would prevent the Latias from dying with you."

Anna opened her mouth to retort, but Zaphara held up her hand. "I know what you're going to say. I'm fully aware that the Latias would be happy to die with you. I'm not offering you her life. I'm offering you _his_."

Zaphara smiled as inky black wisps pulled Kriggs into the center of the circle, forcing him to face Anna. She met his eyes desperately, trying to convey a lifetime's worth of apologies in a single glance. Kriggs just smiled weakly.

"Call the Latias, and I'll let him go. He doesn't need to die tonight, Anna. It's your choice. Who's life is worth more to you?"

Anna looked at Kriggs wretchedly, trying to reach out and take his hand. Her heart ached as keenly as if someone had put it in a vice and squeezed. If it was just a matter of her dying for him, she would have said yes to that in a heartbeat. But it wasn't. It was about more than her, more than both of them. The things Zaphara would do to Lottie if she had the chance . . .

"John," whispered Anna raggedly. "I can't."

"I know," he said softly, managing to wrap his hand around hers. "It's okay."

Zaphara made a noise of disgust. "You're pathetic, you know that? How many times will you sit back and watch people you love die, when you could have saved them?"

"Go to hell," Anna snarled.

Zaphara slapped her, the sound echoing off the hulking stone blocks surrounding them. Anna's head snapped back, her sight going temporarily white as her body tried to process the force of the strike.

"You never learn," Zaphara said, shaking her head. She turned away, not even bothering to watch as the tendrils began tightening around Kriggs and Anna. Dom was dragged into the center as well, and all three of them gasped as the life slowly was slowly crushed from their bodies.

"We have to do something," May whispered, watching the three forms thrashing in the air.

"What can we do?" Drew asked helplessly. They were crouched in the tall grass that grew twenty yards around from the circle of stone. They had had a clear view of everything that had gone on in the circle, but were concealed by the heavy foliage.

"I don't know," May said, looking around feebly. They had no pokémon, no weapons of any sort that could be used to confront Zaphara. Even if they had had something, they would be seen by the Rayquaza before they made it five feet out of the grass.

"I just hope Lottie and Paul got away," May said, trying to keep her body was dissolving into tremors again. She was having a hard time accepting that she was going to die. Dammit, she had barely lived! She was only sixteen! This was not how May had wanted to die, shivering and cowering in the weeds while her friends were tortured and killed in front of her.

"They had to have," Drew whispered. "Otherwise . . ."

_Otherwise, none of this mattered at all_.

"We have to buy them some time," said May. "If Anna dies before Lottie gets Paul to safety—"

"Both he and Lottie will die," Drew finished. They both locked eyes, emerald and sapphire meeting, steeling themselves for what they were about to do.

"Together?" May whispered.

"Together," Drew agreed, grasping her hand tightly. They both took a final breath, and then stood up, striding into the open space.

Zaphara looked up as her Rayquaza roared in warning. She turned on her heel to watch as Drew and May strode confidently towards her. Anna gasped and tried to yell, tried to tell them to run, but the bands of iron shadow compressing her ribcage cut off all air.

"You two are supposed to be dying seven stories underground," Zaphara said coldly, watching them as they approached.

May shrugged. "You know, the décor was a little tasteless. The whole dank dungeon thing has been so overdone."

Drew smirked. "Yeah, really. The way Anna talked about you, I expected a little bit more imagination."

Zaphara's eyes hardened as more smoke tendrils shot towards the couple. But May and Drew were ready. They both lunged to the side, narrowly avoiding being snared by the black coils. The minute May hit the ground, she rolled, using the momentum to propel herself back on her feet. Drew did the same, and they both ran straight at Zaphara.

The sheer insanity of this approach stunned her for a second, and Zaphara was unable to recover before Drew hit her around the middle in a flying tackle. They both went down hard, while the shadows holding Anna, Kriggs, and Dom dissipated, sending all three would-be murder victims crashing to the earth.

While Drew and Zaphara grappled on the ground, May rushed over to Anna, crouching down next to her. "Lottie and Paul got out," she said breathlessly.

Anna nodded, gripping May's forearm tightly. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"Um, help?" Drew yelped, gasping as Zaphara drove her elbow into his stomach. Above them, the Rayquaza twisted in the sky, roaring angrily but unable to intervene, lest any attacks hit Zaphara as well.

Anna and Dom scrambled to their feet and lunged for Zaphara, knocking Drew out of the way as they attacked. It was a dirty, messing sort of fighting, so unlike the elegant, dancelike moves Anna had pulled in the tunnels. May had to bite back a desperate laugh as Dom grab a hank of Zaphara's dark hair, yanking hear head back roughly as he reached for the egg of her back with the other hand.

Zaphara was hissing and spitting in rage, unable to form words as she tried to fight both of her attackers off at once. For a second, May thought that they might actually have the upper hand. She squeezed Drew's hand tightly, watching desperately as Anna finally managed to close a hand around the egg.

As Anna's fingers came into contact with the egg's surface, a blast of shadowy energy shot out in all directions, striking every single person right in the heart. The last thing May remembered before the world dissolved into shadows was that she was still clinging to Drew's hand.

**Ugh, I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm just really not feeling this story anymore, and I'm sure it shows. I will finish it, of course, since there's nothing worse than an unfinished story, but if I could, I would probably go back and rewrite everything from chapter 17 on. Oh, well. Anyway, thanks for reading, and if you want to try and make my day a little better, leave me a review. Thanks. **


	21. Memories

**So that took longer than I wanted. Also, I promised a plot twist in this chapter, but that's actually going to be **_**next**_** chapter. Sorry, but I tried forcing everything into one chapter, and it felt like things were getting too overloaded. Also, this is the first of my five updates for today, so I'm pretty excited. Anyway, here's chapter 21!**

* * *

><p>The first thing May noticed was the emptiness in her hand, as palpable as if she had been burned. But when May tried to open her eyes, she realized that they were already open. The darkness that surrounded her was all encompassing, almost suffocating. Panic swelled inside of her, and May tried to scream, the sound catching in her throat.<p>

Just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, May noticed that the world had begun to lighten. Slowly, so slowly, the world around May reappeared. She supposed that she should be grateful, but all May could feel was confusion. Because instead of the windswept plain on top of the cliffs, she was standing in a small, dingy kitchen.

"It would take me back here," Anna muttered darkly, making May jump. She was certain that Anna hadn't been there a second ago.

"How did you . . ." asked May, her brain starting to hurt.

Anna shrugged. "Memories are weird. The others should be here soon." And sure enough, first Dom, then Kriggs, and finally Drew appeared in the kitchen, all looking a little worse for wear. Which was exactly how May felt. Trying not to collapse from relief, she went and wrapped her arms around Drew tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. She felt him return the embrace, the warm weight of his arms resting comfortingly around her waist.

"Not to break up the cozy reunion," Kriggs said, sounding slightly irritated, "but if we're here, shouldn't Zaphara be too?"

"Oh, I'm right here," a cold, sneering voice said behind them. Everyone but Anna and Dom flinched and spun around.

"Relax," Dom said lazily. "She can't do anything in here."

Zaphara lunged, trying to dig her nails into the side of Dom's face. Her hand swept through him fluidly, as if neither one of them had any form. Zaphara looked absolutely furious as Anna chuckled.

"Oh, just you wait," she hissed. "When we're back in the real world—"

"Oh, shut _up_!" snapped Anna. All at once, Zaphara stopped talking. Her mouth kept moving, but no sound came out. She clutched her throat wildly, glaring at Anna.

"We're in my memories now," Anna said softly, her eyes completely black in the dingy light. "For once, you're at _my_ mercy."

Just then, a woman stumbled into the room. At first, May thought it was Anna herself, but then she noticed the lines on the stranger's face, the deep-set weariness that seemed to permeate the woman's entire body. But despite all this, she was still beautiful; the damage life had done to her inadequate to completely obscure her elegant features.

She collapsed to the floor, body twitching and limbs jerking horribly. May immediately started forward to help her, but Anna held up a hand.

"It's already done, May," she said, a similar weariness settling over her. "You can't change the past."

But that didn't make watching this woman die any easier. Especially not when a little girl rushed into the room to crouch by her dying mother's side.

"He's killed you," the little girl whispered in horror. With a start, May realized that she was looking at Anna as she must have been as a child, no more than seven or eight years old.

"Back when I was still Annaliese," May heard Anna say, as if in response to her unvoiced observation.

The dark haired woman sprawled gracefully across the linoleum, lovely even in death. Her hair fanned out around her, a midnight coronet for a corpse. Trembling, Annaliese reached out and took her mother's hand in her own, squeezing it tightly. But a second later, her grip loosened. Annaliese turned her mother's hand over in her own, revealing a pill bottle clutched loosely by long, thin fingers.

"You've killed yourself," Annaliese said quietly, her face hardening. "And left me alone." Rage, grief and, above all, betrayal, spread across her face. The child hunched over, the warring emotions too much for her body to bear. Grief and pity pierced May has sharply as a knife, and she felt tears of her own spring to her eyes.

May expected Annaliese to cry out, to scream, to pound the floor in grief, but she did none of that. Instead, Anna stood up and stepped lightly around her mother's body. She walked to a door, and slowly, slowly, drew back the latch. The door opened, revealing a darkened staircase leading into what looked like a basement.

Beside her, the others stood frozen, watching the scene play out in front of them. Only Anna remained unaffected, staring out the window with a look of disinterest on her face. Zaphara watched the whole episode gleefully, laughing cruelly when Anna's mother had finally died. May gritted her teeth, wishing that they weren't all intangible. She would love dearly to sink her fists into Zaphara's face.

The scene shifted, following Annaliese into the basement. This time, May couldn't keep a gasp of horror from escaping her lips. All around her were caged pokémon in various stages of death and torture. After the first few cages of burned Jigglypuff, it was too much, and May averted her eyes, forcing herself to stare at the memory version of Anna and nothing else.

Robotically, Annaliese started unlatching cages and opening doors, freeing the pokémon. At first, they were too frightened to move, but after a few encouraging noises from Annaliese, they began to crowd around the stairs.

She crossed the room to the final prisoner, a choked sob finally breaking through her determined veneer. It was a Latias, a red, full grown Latias with lacerations and scars crisscrossing its body. It was strapped to an examination table, eyeing Annaliese tiredly.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, starting to undo the straps. The Latias shook its head and motioned toward another cage, half hidden behind a stack of cardboard crates. A pair of frightened amber eyes peaked out from between the bars.

"Is that your . . ." Annaliese turned back to ask the Latias a question, but it was too late. She was dead.

Anna moaned, sliding to the floor. May watched as her thin body started to shake, grief finally begin to take over. A mewl from the cage brought her back to reality. Taking a deep breath, memory Anna crawled over to the cage and shoved the boxes out of the way. She wrenched open the cage door, her eyes dull as she turned away and walked back towards the stairs.

Baby Lottie was perhaps the cutest thing May had ever seen. She was red, not the violet that May had grown accustomed to, but still. She moved cautiously out of the cage, floating over to her mother. She nudged the body sadly, keening when the Latias didn't respond.

Annaliese had started to climb the stairs, followed by a throng of injured and abused pokémon. Back in the kitchen, she threw the back door open, letting them all rush out into the night.

Finally, only Lottie remained, resting her head on Anna's shoulder.

"You should go, too," Anna said dully. "Before he comes back."

Lottie cocked her head and made a questioning noise.

"It doesn't really matter what he'll do to me," Annaliese said, shrugging. "Nothing really matters now."

Lottie looked hesitant for a second, and then shook her head.

Annaliese shrugged again. "It's your choice."

And then the kitchen was dissolving, reforming into a cliff side scene.

Beside May, the older Anna chuckled darkly. "In retrospect, I should probably avoid cliffs. Nothing good ever seems to happen."

Annaliese was standing with her back to the cliff, fear mingled with defiance playing out across her face. She clutched Lottie to her chest, her eyes darting back and forth. A mob of uniformed men and women had cornered her, and a tall man with black hair and a cruel smile was slowly walking forward.

"Now, now, honey, let's not be stupid," he said, his voice sickening sweet.

"Go away," Anna whispered, inching farther back toward the edge of the cliff.

"Annaliese," the man said, his voice now authoritative. "I'm your father, and I want you to step away from the edge right now."

"Go to hell."

A woman stepped up to Anna's father, and with a jolt, May saw that it was Zaphara, younger, but still as cruel looking. "If you can't get her to come here, we're going to have to shoot her. That pokemon's too important." Zaphara might have thought she was speaking quietly, but the wind carried her voice to Anna easily. May watched the little girl stiffen. Her dark eyes were fixed on her father's face, waiting for his decision.

He nodded.

Annaliese jumped.

The scene shifted again, and May and the others were falling with Anna. It was terrifying, plummeting through the dark air like this. May bit back a scream as she saw the ocean rushing up to meet them.

And then the air was replaced by water, dragging at their limbs and trying to pull them down. May could feel, rather than see, Annaliese's eyelids fluttering closed, her grip on Lottie lessening. And then a burst of violet light blinded them all.

The world was dark, the shadows taking their time to reform. May saw the real Anna standing nearby, her face grim and drawn. Behind her, Kriggs and Dom were staring at her in horror. Drew chuckled hoarsely and gave Anna a very bitter smile.

"And I thought I had a rough childhood."

She laughed weakly. "You know me. Always the competitive one."

Drew frowned slightly, looking troubled. "I'm confused. I've met Solidad's parents before. Those weren't them."

Anna sighed. "After Lottie and I woke up, we were dazed, confused. Solidad was the one who found us, and convinced her parents to take me in. We're sisters in every way except blood."

"Um, I have a question," Kriggs said, raising his hand. "Could someone explain to me why jumping off a cliff makes lots of purple light appear?"

Zaphara snorted derisively from somewhere behind them. "It's a mutation that certain Latias have. Call it a defense mechanism."

"It saved our lives," Anna said quietly, "but it did have a cost. There wasn't enough to save us both separately, so . . ."

"So it linked you," May finished. "That's why when Lottie got hit with that lightning, it hurt you too."

Anna nodded. Slowly, the world began to reform, until it seemed like they were back on top of the cliffs. May, Kriggs, and Drew immediately turned and eyed Zaphara warily, shifting into defensive postures.

"Oh, relax," she snapped, waving them off. "We're not done yet. Unfortunately, the egg targets the worst memories a person has. So we're going to be here a while."

"And whose fault is that?" Anna countered. "You're the one who's been making my life shit for the last decade."

"Both of you, shut up," Dom said suddenly, his eyes fixed on something in the distance. "This isn't . . ."

"Yep," Anna replied, looking miserable.

Three figures appeared out of the tall grass, two girls and a boy. As they drew nearer, May began to make out their features. The first was Anna, younger than she was now, but unmistakable, even with a short mop of dark hair. The second girl was taller, ganglier, but moved with a kind of grace that made May think she was a dancer. Her long hair was braided back, and even in the moonlight, it seemed to be shimmering gold.

"Leila," Dom whispered, stricken.

The third member of the trio came into view. Anna inhaled sharply, her eyes trained on the boy.

"Danny."

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><p><strong>Uh oh. We finally get to see what happened to Danny, and how Zaphara and her Rayquaza really play into things. But I'll leave that for next chapter, which is going to be called "Nightmares". I usually don't know the chapter titles before hand, but since I do this time, I thought I'd let everyone know. Thanks for reading, and the finish line is in sight. I think chapter 30 will probably be the last chapter, but if I have to write one or two more, I will. Thanks, and please, review!<strong>


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